The Cost of the SHIELD
by R.J.North
Summary: There had only ever been one thing Anna wanted: to be a full fledged agent of SHIELD. Now she's presented with that chance, but the mission is harder than she thinks. The outcome affects her far more than anybody believes, shaping the kind of agent Anna becomes. Follow Anna on her long ride as an Agent of SHIELD.
1. Secrets

**Disclaimer: I do not own Agents of SHIELD, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, or any of the MCU. I only own Anna, and her family.**

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Prologue  
Secrets

 _Secrets_.

Everybody has them. Little secrets from sneaking into the cookie jar and eating the last chocolate chip cookie, looking over the shoulder of the student seated in front of them in class while taking a test, to much larger, hurtful deeds: cheating on a beloved, faithful spouse, murdering the prostitute that walk below the underpass.

Secrets are like the cancer of the soul, eating away and spreading the bad, taking over the good until there was nothing but destruction behind. Good intentions may have been the reasoning behind it all, but then again, hell was paved with good intentions.

Because little secrets always grow into big secrets if left to their own devices. They roll out of control, often hurting not only the holder of the secret, but those closes around them.

Unfortunately, Anna found that out the hard way.

Several times.


	2. Back In The Game

**Disclaimer: I do not own Agents of SHIELD, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, or any of the MCU. I only own Anna, and her family.**

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Chapter 1  
Back In The Game

The office at the Triskelion of Director Nicholas J. Fury was far brighter than many would have expected for such a secretive man of the most secretive organization in the world. The large windows behind the desk, the entirety of the corner where his desk sat, letting in ample light during the day so the lights overhead on the ceiling weren't necessary until the sun started to set, though that didn't mean the lights weren't one anyway.

It was very neutral in the office. The off white, bordering gray walls, the marble tiled floors, the black and silver chairs and desk set. Everything matched, and everything was rather characterless. It was professional, not giving anything away, much like the head of SHIELD himself.

Often when Fury was in the DC HQ, he found himself looking out the windows behind him. He's stare out towards the city, the people he used the SHIELD to protect. Every project and mission going on ran through his head, the world outside of those walls never knowing any bit of them, if everything went according to plan. They couldn't take it. If they knew, they'd be unprotected, and SHIELD purpose was to protect everyone from what they weren't ready to hear.

Director Fury wasn't the only one in the office though. Sitting on one of the chairs across from his desk was Agent Maria Hill, clearance level 9. Maria Hill, despite the upset from a lot of agents, had been appointed his second in command. Fury didn't listen to any of the talk though. He knew she was capable. She did her job and she did her job well.

"So you're thinking about sending in an agent?" Hill asked. Her fingers absentmindedly scrolled through the data handed to him on the data pad. "How exactly do you plan on infiltrating? Employee? Cleaning service? Stark's not exactly known for letting outsiders into the company."

Nick Fury wanted to send an agent in to keep an eye on Tony Stark. After the whole "I am Iron Man" incident, who knew what he was doing down in that lab. And after having gone into the middle east to stop some actions of the Ten Rings, playing the hero card seemed likely for the billionaire, and of course, after having approached him about the Avenger Initiative, the idea was kind of stuck in his head.

"No, I was thinking something a little closer to home," Fury admitted. "Bring in Agent Carr."

"Clark?" H asked. "Isn't Stark more receptive to female persuasion?"

"Exactly why you're bringing in the other Carr," Fury corrected.

"Are you sure about this, Sir?" Hill pressed. "She hasn't been on a solo field mission since her cover in Palermo was compromised..."

"Of course" Fury said cutting Hill off, taking a seat at his desk finally. "She's a Carr."

* * *

It was always so dark in that small, white washed walled room. The lights in the ceiling were hardly used, and when they were flipped on from the switch next to the wooden door in the corner of the room, several of them flickered spontaneously, threatening to blow. That one specific room caused so much pain, dread and nightmares for hundreds.

This room was the Trigonometry classroom.

It was stupid, horribly stupid, Anna found, that she was forced to do and learn such things when she was capable of far more useful skills and trades. It was pointless or her to know how to find the amplitude of a function or how to graph cos, tan or sin functions when she was never going to go into a field where she needed to know anything about imaginary numbers. No, she was practices and skill and highly talented in what she knew she was going to do, what she was born into.

And that wasn't _math_!

"Mathematics isn't about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms," Mr. Laureen stated, walking around the room as the students did their impossible work, as he always did. "It's about _understanding_!"

 _Then maybe you should understand it before trying to teach it to us_ , Anna thought begrudgingly, tapping the eraser side of her pencil as she ran a hand through her long, wavy brown hair. Her blue eyes glared at the back of her teachers pink dress shirt that always made his skin look three shades too red.

Mr. Adrian Laureen was a round man with thinning silver hair, rounded glasses that were always purchased on the end of his nose, and thought his class was the only important one in the whole school. He had only been reassigned to teach trigonometry that year, and was highly unprepared for the task. He was used to teaching Calculus to the advanced seniors, and to stare and shush students in study halls, something he had gotten quite accustomed to doing for twenty years.

So when the highly sought after Ms. Manner, the young blonde woman that was soft spoken and easy to understand, the woman everybody wanted to get for trig because she made the subject so easy to understand, went on sabbatical to care for her fragile mother after she had her knee replaced, was placed in the subject without notifying the parents and students of the change at the start of the school year.

The guy had never once taught trig in his life. He'd never taught a regular class either. He had always been placed with the advanced upperclassmen. So, one day, a couple weeks into the school year and already confusing the living daylights out of his students, admitted that he only read the chapter he was teaching that day right before walking into the classroom, it kind of made everybody in the class frustrated, angry, and scared as hell.

Because, in New York State, there were two diplomas a student could get: the Advanced Regents Diploma, and a Regents Diploma, and you needed to be able to pass both the course and the state mandated regents test taken at the end of the year to be able to get that Advanced Diploma. Many students depended on that to get into colleges, or scholarships for schools they couldn't even dream of paying for without that money.

Not that it really mattered to Anna any, but that wasn't really the point. They deserved someone that wanted to help them succeed. They deserved someone that would put the effort into their lesson plan instead of throwing it all together half an hour before stepping into the classroom.

Anna was pissed to say the least. She sucked at math, and no matter how many hours she put into her homework, she barely got a passing grade, if that! She was hoping that maybe having Ms. Manner would help her get her grade up, and perhaps understand at least a little of the mandated by the state for them to learn.

It didn't help that Anna missed so much school because of work anyway. When she wasn't at school she was at work. When she wasn't at work, she was training. If she wasn't training, she was doing homework that she couldn't possibly wrap her head around. It wasn't even the first time she had taken the class either. Anna had taken it the year before, and had failed it. Her counselor had put her back in the class again the following year or her last attempt for her to pass it.

At this point though, Anna just wanted to get the school year over with so she could go to the school she had already been accepted into. She didn't need the graduate. She didn't even need a high school diploma exactly, but she promised her brother she would wait until after she graduated.

There was a place for Anna at the SHIELD Academy of Operation. However, Anna was already more skilled than half of the graduates that came out of the Academy. There were programs and undercover agents that had families. Generally, the agents in those programs were sent on undercover missions to infiltrate and to gain informations. And they were less likely to be discovered because back home they had a family, a family with young children.

From the moment Anna was born, she had was an Agent of SHIELD: the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistic Division. Anna was raised not only to how to tie her shoes by her parents by the time she could walk, but also martial arts, multiple languages, and how to undergo a lie detector test and pass. She knew the SHIELD handbook inside and out. She was born to be an agent, and that was all she wanted to be.

Before she even managed to get to the third question, the bell rang from the hallway, indicating that class was over and the school day had ended. Everybody in the class was relieved and quickly scurried to get out of there.

 _Oh, thank you God,_ Anna thought, quickly putting her stuff away. She made sure her homework was written down in her planner, and that her book was in her bag, because heaven forbid she forget the five hour assignment assigned that day for the weekend. One everything was put away, the seventeen year old walked out of the classroom with her bag slung over one shoulder. Her designation was her locker on the second floor in the other end of Midtown High School.

As she tossed in the books she didn't need, she felt her cellphone in her back pocket vibrate. She pulled it out, wedging it between her ear and her shoulder as she took a couple more books out and replaced them with the ones she had just taken out of her black bag.

"Hello?" Anna answered.

 _"State your Identification."_

Anna stopped moving completely. The first thing she did was smirk, thinking: Finally. It's been months! She hung her backpack up on the hook in the back of the locker and took the phone back in one hand. The other crossed over her chest, hand hooking onto her bent arm. "Identification: A01492866."

 _"Identification and voice recognition confirmed. Transferring call."_

There was silence for several moment, to which Anna used to finish getting her things. She slung her bag over her shoulder once more and shut it, spinning the dial so it would lock. Once done, she turned and started to weave her way through the masses of teenagers mingling and doing the same thing she was. Most of them were discussing their plans for the weekend. Anna just hoped her plans for the weekend involved not being called the name Anna.

It wasn't that Anna didn't like her name. It was the name her parents gave her. It was the name that her brother always stuck with Banana when addressing her. It was just that she had gone by so many other names that being Anna was a bit boring to her. Perhaps she just always associated her undercover aliases with her missions, so it seemed more exciting to be them, and not just Anna.

 _"Agent Carr, report to SHIELD Headquarters in New York for mission assignment. Do you copy?"_

"Noted," Anna said. "Estimated time of arrival," she said, glancing at the watch on her wrist, calculating the time to go home and change first, "Sixty minutes."

 _"You have thirty."_ The line went dead, leaving the dial tone beeping in Anna's ear.

Anna sighed as she put her phone back into her pocket. _Guess I don't have time to go home and change first_ , she thought. _Maybe it's something important._ She smirked, growing more excited as the seconds ticked by. _Oh, this'll be fun, I just know it!_

* * *

The one thing Anna didn't like about being an agent getting assigned a new mission was having to wait in an office to be assigned the mission. She didn't know exactly if the setup was like this so others didn't really see her, since the underage agents (which were very few in numbers) were kept under-wraps and their identities a secret from the majority of the SHIELD population. Most agents needed a clearance level of seven to be able to know the identity of an underage agent.

Anna was dressed in her blue uniform. The skin tight SHIELD uniform was one piece, shoes built in and all. It always made her feel exposed, but it also made her feel exactly like a secret agent. It was childish, she knew, but it was her an a guilty little pleasure of her's.

After twenty-three minutes and eighteen seconds -yes, Anna had been keeping track- Agent Maria Hill walked in. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, her blue uniform fitting he body just as much as Anna's fit her own. In her hand she carried two data pads, to which Anna assumed was one for her and one for herself as they discussed the mission.

Maria Hill had always given Anna an off putting feeling. She knew she was a good Agent, she was second only to Director Nick Fury, after all. But Anna always knew she wasn't fond of her. She didn't know exactly why. Maybe she didn't think she was capable of her job, or maybe she thought she was the reason the only undercover mission that had ever been botched in her record was her fault. Or maybe she just didn't like kids. Either way, she always was so cold towards Anna. She could've been like that to everyone, but she wouldn't know. She wasn't ever at HQ long enough to get a feel for that.

"Agent Carr," she greeted, sitting down on the other side of the breiding room table.

"Agent Hill, you look as like a ray of sunshine, as _always_ ," Anna said, a smirk on her lips.

Or maybe Hill didn't like her because of her playful personality.

Hill just glanced up from her data pad blankly before going back to work. She slid her extra pad across the table for her. "We have a mission for you," she stated.

"Oh, I thought you were just going to invite me to dinner," Anna said. "I was hoping you'd treat me to Korean barbeque."

"I would hope you would act with at least a bit more professionalism," Hill stated.

"Okay, okay," Anna muttered, holding her hands up in defense. "Jeez." Anna entered in her login and went to her mission assignment. While it was loading, she looked back up at Hill and asked, "Is Clark being brought in."

"Your brother is currently under deep cover on a highly classified mission. He's unavailable," Hill answered, her eyes never lifting up to glance at the blonde.

Anna blinked in shock. She hadn't been on a solo undercover mission in, well, she couldn't exactly recall how long. If she was recalling correctly, it was in 2007 when she was thirteen and in England. Young, poor American scholarship abroad girls were getting assaulted and raped, and nothing was getting solved by the police or the internal investigation so SHIELD sent her in to deal with it. That had been four years ago though. Every other mission in between had been either with her parents, and her brother after their parents died. The accused had been a former government official that had retired to become a professor at the academy, who had a great deal of business done with SHIELD in his day, so they wanted to clear the air up. It hadn't been him, thankfully, and Anna had figured out who it was in the end.

But Anna was surprised they were sending her out solo. After her parents died while they were on mission, Director Fury himself told her that she wouldn't go on any solo missions again until after she received her (unnecessary) training from the Academy, just as a precaution for her safety. They technically weren't even supposed to send her out on her own anyway, but they had been desperate at the time, so it made her wonder why they were putting her back out there this time. Were they desperate again? Was it not as difficult of a mission as she had hoped?

"What changed?" Anna asked, serious for once. "Fury sai-"

"I know what Fury said, but this order came directly from him. If it were up to me, you'd be benched until after further mandatory training is received," Hill stated.

 _Yup, and there's the disdain I've come to expect from you,_ Anna thought. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," Anna muttered, scrolling through until she got to the latest mission assignment.

"He wanted you full time and out of school," Hill went on. "But I convinced him that you're reckless and need the training."

"I hardly think so, Agent Hill," Anna said. "I've been trained my entire life for this."

"Yes, but I'm not entirely sure you're even right for SHIELD," Hill pressed.

"My track record says otherwise," Anna said, her blue eyes glaring into the always glaring eyes of the woman before her. She honestly didn't know what her problem was.

"Your inexperience got two of our best agents killed," Hill said.

" _My_ inexperience? The Italians were _fed_ intel on us. Someone ratted us out and it sure as hell wasn't me!" Anna scoffed. "You weren't there. And I reported everything in my paperwork that happened, and everything I know."

"Yes, but I don't trust your paperwork, or your word, for that matter," Hill said, smiling. It gave Anna an unpleasant feeling. Not only was she disrespecting her capabilities as an agent, but she was blaming the death and failure of the Palermo mission on her. And that wasn't right. It was hurtful and degrading and Anna honestly wanted to punch the woman for that.

But there was another way to get back at her. If Fury assigned her to go on the mission himself then it had to be important and only she could do it. She was, after all, the only junior agent that they ever assigned to solo missions. It had to be something that he really wanted done if he wa bringing her out of her solo retirement.

"What if I say no?" Anna asked, tilting her chair back on it's two back legs, crossing her arms over her chest with a steady glare. "Technically speaking, I don't have to go on this mission. I could decline and go on my merry way.."

"Fury wants you on this," Hill said. "It's an order."

The chair snapped back on all four legs, and Ann leaned forward, clasping her hands on top of the tabletop. "I'll do it if I don't have to go to the academy and finish high school," Anna prompted.

"You're doing both," Hill stated, not budging an inch, though she did following her with her eyes.

Anna moved to get up, her hands on the arms of the chair, pushing herself up to her feet. The chair screeched on the floor, sliding back as her legs straightened. "I guess you'll just have to tell Fury that I'm out then," Anna threatened.

Hill signed before finally agreeing to something remotely acceptable for Anna to take. "Graduating high school and then two years of probationary work, shadowing a senior agent, and that's final," Hill said.

Anna smirked. "Deal," she said, plopping back down into her seat.

"Maybe you are the perfect person to be sent to Stark," Hill glared.

"I don't know if I should take that as an insult or not," Anna admitted. "And Stark's the mission? Aren't I kind of jail bait for Stark?"

"You're not going in to seduce him," Hill said. "You're getting adopted, so to speak."

Anna openly stared, the mission playing through her head with the words Hill has just spoken. "Wait, _adopted_?" She gaped. " _What_?"

"We managed to slip some paperwork and ideas into Ms. Virginia Potts' head, his personal assistant, that it would be good for the press to see Tony Stark take in an orphan, much like he is. You'll be staying with them, observing, setting to know them, Get close. And report back his activities. We want to know what he's doing, if anything changes. _Everything_."

"I don't see how Tony Stark, the biggest playboy of all time aside from, well you know, Hugh Hefner, would want a kid running around his mansion in Malibu," Anna admitted.

"It's your job to get him to trust you, to let you in," Hill said. "Unless you think you can't do it…"

"Oh, I can do it," Anna said. "Just you wait and see."

"Memorize your cover tonight. Go home and pack some things. You leave tomorrow. Agent Maroni will pick you up at zero six hundred hours."

"Don't get attached to them, Agent Carr," Hill warned.

"This is Tony Stark we're talking about," Anna said. "Who could get attached to him?"


	3. Hello Malibu

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man, any of the movies, and so on and so forth.**

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Chapter 2  
Hello Malibu

"They seriously had to go with the name Annie?" Anna pointed out, going over the details of her identity one last time with Agent Maroni on the final ride to the Stark Malibu mansion. "I mean, come on. Little orphan Annie? They're really playing that card?"

Maroni's brown eyes landed on the girl seated next to her. She ran a hand through her brown hair, her other hand on the wheel. "Would you stop complaining?" Maroni said, rolling her eyes from the driver's seat. "You're going to be living in one of the most high tech houses in the world!"

"Yeah, with one of the biggest playboy in Malibu," Anna added. "I hope my room isn't next to Mr. Stark's. I really don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night hearing things I can't unhear."

Maroni chuckled and rolled her eyes once more. "You're refreshing, you know that?" She said. "I'm around too many serious tight assed agents more times than not."

"Why thank you," Anna said. "At least someone appreciates my personality. Agent Hill, on the other hand…"

"Hill doesn't like anybody," Maroni said.

"That….is a very valid point," Anna said.

"Go over your cover for me one more time, just so I know you have it," Maroni instructed her.

"Annie O'Connell, born and raised in New York City. Sixteen years old, born October 3, 1996 to a Martha and Mitch O'Connell." Her name and background didn't just change either. Anna was required to dye her hair black for this undercover mission. Her rather simple and plain clothes she normally wore, consisting of a hell of a lot of plaid and jeans, had been changed for slightly more girlier things, skirts, and dresses, with the occasional pair of jeans.

The goal of the cover of the girly girl was to pull Tony in to get attacked. They wanted him to become protective of the "little, defensive" girl that he would normally jump the opportunity to sleep with (of age, of course). It would boost his ego to be able to protect such an impressionable girl. He would want to protect her.

Or so the people that created the cover thought.

It wasn't exactly the plan Anna would've gone with. Tony Stark was a techie. He was a brilliant mechanic and inventor. He would appreciate someone that could get down and dirty. They couldn't be afraid to get their hands dirty. It would be easier to bond with someone over cars and tech than some little preppy girl that only wanted to paint her nails.

So, despite the background given to her, Anna was modifying it a bit to fit the situation. She wasn't a girly girl, even though she could pretend to be. And she couldn't talk shop about cars, but she wasn't dumb.

Anna, after all, was a tomboy that did like to dress up every once in awhile. She could turn the dresses and skirts into a cooler sense where she didn't have to worry about them blowing up and giving everybody around her a show of exactly what she was wearing under there just because the wind decided to torture her. She could talk about cars and horse power (thanks to Popular Mechanics magazine), and she could talk about some advances thanks to the research she spent most of the night doing.

When the two finally pulled up to the large, modern white mansion, Anna couldn't help but remain in the car instead of following Maroni out. Slowly but surely, Anna joined her. "Have I ever told you that I hate modern styled things?"

"Sucks to be you," Maroni laughed.

"And white. So much white…"

Maroni knocked on the door, to which an English voice said, "Hello, Annette Maroni, Annie O'Connell. Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts have been expecting you." The door clicked open, and Maroni shrugged, looking at the girl before opening it.

"Take it back! I don't want it!"

"It's not like it's something you can just return to the store like goldfish, Tony!"

"I can't keep a goldfish alive, how do you expect me to take care of a person! I mean, I can't take care of myself, _you_ do that. And you know you'll be the one to take care of the kid. How are you going to take care of me when you have to take care of it?"

"You're being ridiculous, Tony!"

"Of course I am, I'm irresponsible. It's my thing. So take it back. I don't want one."

"Would you stop calling her an it? Her name's Annie."

"Oh, Annie, is it? Little orphan Annie?"

Anna gave Maroni a pointed look saying _I told you so_ , which she gave right back at her telling her to knock it off, as if it would jeopardize their mission. Anna just rolled her eyes, shoving her hands into her pockets as they continued into the mansion.

Maroni cleared her throat, making their presence known. "Hello," she greeted. "Are we, uh, interrupting?"

"Yes." Tony said shortly.

"Be polite," Pepper scolded before turning back to the two individuals joining them. "No, you're not interrupting anything. Please, come in!"

"Only my life!" Tony said.

"In a good way…" Pepper quickly added, trying to make sure that the "Social Worker" wouldn't take their new "Ward" away. That would definitely get the wrong kind of press. The complete opposite of what she was aiming for.

Anna couldn't help but scoff though. "Right," she muttered.

"...It's weird looking." Tony mumbled.

"Tony! You of all people should know better than to insult a girl's looks!" Pepper scolded, smacking him on the back of the head.

"But it looks like a tiny adult..but it's not an adult!" Tony whined.

"That's what a teenagers is, Genius," Anna told him.

"That's what the aliens always say." Tony muttered.

"They say a teenager is a mini adult?" she asked. "What the hell kind of aliens are you meeting?"

"Just one," He said and motioned to her.

"Huh, who would've thought he would figure it already," Anna joked. "Took the last family three months."

"I refused to be probed, Pepper." Tony said looking to the red head.

"Ew," Anna cringed.

"I honestly think they're evenly matched," Maroni told the redhead, as she moved over to her.

"At least she has good views on probing." Tony said.

"Maybe we should talk a little more business instead…" Maroni suggested.

"Yes, of course," Pepper agreed. "Please, make yourself at home."

Anna hesitantly took a seat on the modern, comfortable stool across from the large curved couch, while the adults sat on the longer couch in order to pass the paperwork between them easier. Anna just sat back and tried to relax, her eyes wandering around the room to get a feeling for what life there would be like for the foreseeable future.

There was a whole lot of white and grays, it seemed. It was definitely just as modern on the inside as it was on the outside. Stone marble floors, Large open windows. THere were even large modern sculptures, as well as large boulders placed strategically around the room. Anna just didn't exactly understand modern, she supposed.

"...And this is the last one. Please sign the dotted line," Maroni instructed, passing the last paper down.

"You never told me kids come with carpal tunnel." Tony said looking to Pepper.

"I'm sure you have worse things, like arthritis in your wrist from worse activities," Anna scoffed.

"Worse or better, I think your definitions are backwards." Tony said.

"My room isn't in earshot of yours, is it?" Anna asked. "I really don't want to have to listen to that."

"You can sleep in the basement. JARVIS build a basement." Tony ordered.

" _I will get right on that, of course, Sir,"_ JARVIS answered rather sarcastically.

"No, you're room is upstairs, down the hall from one another," Pepper said. "The rooms are soundproof, so you'll have nothing to worry about.

"She wants to live in the basement. Look at her face, it's a I-want-to-live-in-the-basement face." Tony said pointing to her.

She knew she shouldn't take any of this personal. It was a job, after all. She had been through much worse, but that didn't mean this wasn't annoying or slightly hurting her. "Are you always such a dick?" Anna asked, glaring at the man.

"I'm not a dick, I have a dick, a really really good one." Tony told her.

Anna's face distorted, and in an instant, her hands went to her ears. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!"

"Tony, that's hardly appropriate to say to a fifteen year old!" Pepper scolded.

"That's hardly appropriate to say to anybody," Maroni muttered to herself.

"What, I'm teaching anatomy, like a responsible adult." Tony said.

"No, you're being a pervert, that's not a responsible adult! Bad adulting!" Anna scolded, pointing a finger at him.

"Perhaps we should wait and review this one last time to make sure Annie is being placed into the right home…." Maroni muttered, through her and Anna both knew very well Anna wasn't going anywhere. It would defeat the purpose of the mission.

"Sounds fucking perfect!" Tony said with a grin, obviously swearing on purpose.

"No!" Pepper protested. "Tony, this will be good for you. You're alone in this house too much and having Annie around will do you good and teach you to be responsible and to care for something other than yourself!"

"The first step is a dog not a person!" Tony argued.

"You don't like dogs," Pepper pointed out.

"So how do you think I would feel about a person if I don't like dogs!" Tony retorted.

"Then we'll just stay out of each other's way," Anna said. "You stick to your space, I'll stick to mine."

"...promise? Stay out of my space?" Tony grumbled. "See each other only on accident or when forced?"

"That's how I'd prefer it," Anna admitted, glaring at him.

"I suppose you two have settled things then," Maroni muttered. The woman stood up and straightened her jacket before nodding to Anna. "Behave yourself," she instructed.

Anna scoffed. "Where's the fun in that?" But it was obvious to everybody other than Tony that the teen was just joking.

"If you gave me a demon spawn, I _will_ sue you."Tony muttered.

"Have a lovely day," Maroni smiled fakely at him before turning on her heel to take her leave. Once she was gone, it seemed as if Pepper just realized Anna hadn't brought in any bad with her.

"Don't you have things to bring in from the car or something?" Pepper asked.

"Uh, no, just this," Anna answered, patting the backpack at her feet. "You learn to travel light when you live in the system."

"So now I'm supposed to let you spend my money on new clothes now?" Tony grumbled.

"I'm fine with what I have," Anna growled. "I don't need your money. Or _you_."

"Perfect!" Tony smiked as he walked away.

Anna just growled in frustration. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. She had heard how Tony was from Phil, so she wasn't really all too out of the loop on how he acted, but this was even worse than she imagined.

"Why don't you let me show you to your room?" Pepper suggested.

"Sure, thanks," Anna said with an appreciative smile.

Pepper lead her up the stairs and all the way down the hallway, all the time pointing out which bedroom was what just so she would know. "And here we are," Pepper said.

"Thank you, Ms. Potts, I really appreciate this," Anna said.

"Oh please, call me Pepper. If you need anything, just ask JARVIS or have him give me a call. I'm more than happy to help. And he'll grow on you, I promise."

"Maybe when pigs fly," Anna laughed.

Pepper just sighed and smiled at her. She really was a lot like Tony though. "Goodnight, Annie," she bide farewell.

"Night, Pepper."

Anna went into the bedroom and went straight to the bed. Her backpack was discarded to the stone floors, as she fell onto her back. The bedroom was just like the rest of the house. Just as modern and dull as Anna believed it to be. White walls. Stone floors. Gray and white bedding. The only consolation was the large window and balcony facing the ocean.

Anna rolled to her side, her eyes staring out the window at the crashing waves. It was so peaceful, a stark contrast to how she was feeling inside. _And now the hard part,_ Anna thought.. _Time to make him like me._

* * *

 ** _Okay, there's chapter 2! Hope you guys liked it. I've been dying to get this story up and going and now I've got several chapters finished, or partially finished, and a good several movies/arcs planned out. Anyway, I hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think! I'm hoping to get on a regular basis for their story when it comes to updates, just like Solace/Condolence, my other Marvel story._**

Thanks to the following people for their reviews:

 ** _Jedi Jelsa777-_** Lol, you and me both! I'm so excited for this story, it's unreal.

 ** _mun3litKnight_** \- Unfortunately, Anna does not know Peter. Their age different right now would be 17 and 9. I'm so glad you like the concept so far, and I really hope you liked this chapter!

 _ **musicluver246**_ \- Sorry I kept you waiting! Hope you liked the update though.

 ** _Rubyia_** \- I'm glad you like my take on how he's involved. The story's going to go on and show how Anna adapts to all of the changes with each year she grows older. And by the time her love interest shows up, she'll be legal and closer to his age.


	4. More School (Great!)

**Disclaimer: I do no own Iron Man or the Avengers, or any of the works, just Anna and her bits.**

* * *

Chapter 3  
More School (Great!)

The couch in the living room was far more comfortable than the chair she had sat in before, and it was a lot easier to spread out all of her textbooks and notebooks around her on the cushions and the coffee table as she did her massive loads of homework that horrid afternoon.

School in Malibu was exactly like someone in the middle class would expect. The private school they were sending her too was filled with rich snobs that, if she wasn't undercover, Anna would never talk to in a million years. It was torturous. And the shear amount of homework she was given on her very first day was enough to make her want to quit school then and there. But she had a mission to accomplish, and she couldn't just abandon it on day two.

The work was far harder than even what Mr. Laureen handed out, the ass. After three hours of trying and miserably failing at trying to do her Trig homework, Anna wanted to throw it across the room into the fireplace to burn and never deal with again. She knew she couldn't possibly do that though, and figured this was a good chance to try and "bond" with Tony, even though it was against her gut telling her otherwise. Or maybe it was pride.

Anna walked down the stairs to the lab and stopped when she got to the glass wall and door. She hesitantly knocked, trying to get Tony's attention from his desk. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. She knew she had to make her way into that tiny, tiny heart of his, but she was making herself look dumb by asking for help on her homework. Not that she was all that smart really, but she could play it off as she was. This would just shoot all of that effort down the drain.

"JARVIS? Can I go in to ask him something?" Anna asked nervously.

" _I believe so, Miss O'Connell,"_ JARVIS answered, unlocking the door for her.

Anna opened the door and quickly stepped in, catching Tony's attention. "Whatcha need, Alien?" Tony asked her.

Anna walked up behind him too look over his shoulder to see what he was up to. She had to admit, the shop was sick! Her interest was definitely peaked on what activities he was working on. "You busy?" she asked.

"Always." Tony grunted as he didn't even turn to look at her.

"Well….think you could take a break?" Anna mumbled, clutching her textbook and notebook to her chest tighter.

"Did God take a break? I don't think so." Tony grumbled.

"I'd hardly consider you God," Anna admitted.

"You are the few who don't." He said. "What do you want?"

"Help on my homework?" she offered, a sheepish smile on her face.

"...Homework? High school home work?" Tony asked. "Seriously? Did you just ask, The Tony Stark, THE IRON MAN...to help you on your Algebra?" Tony asked her. "That's like asking Einstein what two plus two is." He turned away. "My dad never helped me and I turned out great. So I pass that life lesson on to you." He said focusing on his work.

With each word that passed from his mouth to her ear, Anna's blood boiled. How could he think himself that far above her like that? How much of an ass was he? She knew Phil, her honorary uncle, had told her he was a jerk, but this was even worse than she ever could've imagined. "It's Trigonometry asshat," Anna growled. "And not everybody has your IQ, Dickwad. Fuck you. Forget I asked."

"I will completely forget you asked," Tony promised.

Anna turned away in a much worse mood than she had been when she went down there. And she'd remain that way until the next day.

" _May I be so bold as to remind you that most people have difficulty with math homework in school,_ " JARVIS reminded Tony.

"Yeah, and like I said, my dad never helped me and I got through it." Tony scoffed. "If you're so concerned JARVIS you help her."

* * *

Once again, after all long tiring day at school with all of the stacks of homework, Anna sat on the couch frustratingly erasing away at the Trig homework she was very much so struggling through. She had barely gotten her math homework done last night, staying up all night to finish it, and with her luck, that meant she completely failed the assignment. She dreaded getting it back tomorrow.

And again tonight, Anna sat there, already finished with her history, science, and English homework. Now all she was left with for the rest of the night was to make dinner and to struggle through her assignment. And of course, that most likely meant spending another all nighter on it. _This mission isn't supposed to make me lose sleep!_

Anna growled and pushed the book and notebook that were resting on her lap off and onto the floor frustrated. She rubbed her eyes and then dramatically laid down on the couch. With her arm draped across her eyes, Anna laid there for a good minute or so wallowing in her self pity. _They just_ had _to send me back to fucking school, didn't they. Agent Hill has got to be laughing at me right now_.

"What's with the face, Alien?" Tony asked, having just come down the stair from his room..

"My name's Annie," she grumbled without even looking at the man.

Tony sighed slightly. "Fine. Annie, what's with the face?"

"I think God said 'Let there be light' and Satan said 'Let's put the alphabet in math.' That's what's with the face," Anna answered. She sat up, her elbows resting on her knees, which were tucked up under her butt, just to finally look at Tony. "I mean seriously! Can we go back in time and slap the person that came up with the idea to use imaginary numbers?"

Tony looked torn for a moment. He glanced to the stairs leading down to the lab, then back at Anna before he finally sighed and turned fully to the teen. "...Here," Tony said opening her work and scanning through it. "That right there, see it, can you see your mistake. Compare it to the problem on the page before it."

"No, they're completely different problems," Anna sighed. "

"No, they're not." Tony said as he sat down with her. "They're from the same branch of problems, just with small tweaks to them. The way I learned Math was I noticed patterns within my work and strung them together."

"My brain doesn't work that way," Anna admitted. "It's not that simple for me."

"Well then let's go over a few problems. I think you're overthinking everything, Alien. It's numbers." Tony said.

"My problem is always overthinking everything," she admitted. "But that's just it, it's not just numbers! It's letters too! Imaginary ones!"

"Then shut up and listen to me then." Tony said. "Those letters are hiding numbers. As if someone took out and number and hid it behind a letter, that's what you're trying to find." Tony said as he shoved a pen in her hand and grabbed one for himself.

And that was how the two of them spent the next two hours. Anna's homework was finished, and she even gained a little bit more understanding with from the way Tony explained it. She wouldn't admit it to anybody, but Tony was a far better teacher than one would've thought. Fair better than that Mr. What's-His-Face back in New York.

After Tony finished helping her, he retreated into the workshop once more, leaving Anna upstairs by herself. After watching a bit of TV, she moved to the kitchen to make dinner, something she found out Tony rarely had. Or rarely had food in general. That idiot would get too caught up in his own work and forget to eat.

So Anna was taking it upon herself to make two portions of garlic chicken and pasta for dinner, after checking in with JARVIS to make sure Tony actually like that. Anna was actually a very good cook too. After all, most of the time she lived on her own. Her mother couldn't cook. Her father wouldn't be caught dead in the kitchen, and her brother took after their mother. Then, of course, her parents passed away, and her brother remained in SHIELD, which meant he was never home. So Anna quickly learned how to cook and how to cook well.

Once the food was done, Anna took the two plates down the stairs to the lab. "JARVIS, could you get the door for me? My hands are a bit full," she said.

"Of course, Ms. O'Connell," he informed her.

"Thank you," she replied, entering through the door after JARVIS was oh so kind to open it for her. "Dinner time, Genius," Anna called out to Tony over the loud rock music blaring over the speakers.

"It better be 'out of this world, Alien.'" Tony rolled his eyes as he pushed away from the table in his rolly chair.

"I may not be good at Trig, but I am good at cooking," she said, handing him a plate before plopping down on the sofa by the TV in the lab. "You'll like it, if you know, you like food. But you're weird, so who knows if you're into that sort of thing."

"Nah, I run on batteries, but in order to pass for a human I eat." Tony shrugged as he flung himself into his chair.

"Riiiiiiiight," Anna chuckled, downing her own plate.

"I gotta make humans feel like they can succeed in some way..."

"Oh, just shut up and eat you food," Anna told him.

"Right..."he said.

The two fell into the silence that they were all too familiar with while being around each other. It allowed them to just eat in peace and to focus on their own thought. It wasn't until they were both done that Anna spoke up. "Well, did you like it?"

"I did. Good Job." Tony said shortly.

"Well, I guess there's one good thing about me being here, right?" Anna laughed. "At least you get a cook."

"Yeah there's something. So I guess you can stay if you make this at least once a week." Tony said.

"I'm not going to make the same thing every week," Anna laughed. "Variety. If I made it every week, you'd get tired of it."

"No. That's a rule. It's a rule now. Can't break the rules. I'm the adult." Tony said stubbornly.

"And I'm the rebellious teenager," she retorted.

"And I have an Iron Man suit. I win." Tony stated.

"I don't see how that really makes a difference in this argument," Anna laughed.

"It just does. It's the Iron Rule."

"There's no such thing!" Anna giggled. "You just made that up."

"Doesn't matter, it's a thing now."

"Oh please," Anna scoffed. "You're just being difficult now."

"I know." Tony said happily.

"You're all about being difficult, aren't you?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"I'm starting to figure that out…" Anna muttered, rolling her eyes, though she did have a small, playful smirk on her lips.

 _Staying here is definitely going to be more interesting now._

* * *

 **Yay, so now Tony and Anna are on a little better terms. They're starting to tolerate each other, which is a very good sign. Maybe being there won't be as unbearable as she thinks! Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter! Let me know what you think.**

Thanks go to the following individuals for their reviews in the previous chapters:

 _ **Fangirling007-**_ I'm so happy you like the story and find it different!

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- Lol I know! It's so funny. I owe that to StillDoll13.


	5. Peace

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel, just Anna and her fellow OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 4  
Peace

Tony froze when he entered his lab and was greeted by the sound the television, instead of the usual silence that filled the room when nobody was there. He turned and looked at the couch to see the young black haired ward laying on the couch, completely minding her own business, almost ignoring the fact that Tony had just entered the room.

"Who let you down here?"

"JARVIS," Anna answered without looking away from the TV screen.

Anna had finished her homework rather early and instead of just heading to her room to do whatever, or even snooping around like she was supposed to, she decided to go down to the lab and watch a movie instead. And she was having a ball doing it. The couch was comfortable, the TV was fantastic, and it was one of her favorite movies. So it was all just a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, if anybody asked her.

"Why?" Tony pressed. He walked over to where Anna was lying and glanced up over the top of her head to the television. "What are you even doing?"

"Watching a movie," Anna answered, almost sounding dazed because of her diverted attention. She was too into the movie. Movies and comics were her weakness, and Transformers was one of her favorite movies.

"What is it?" Tony asked.

"Transformers," she answered.

"Nerd," he accused her.

"Oh, like you're any better," Anna laughed.

Tony left her alone to watch her movie, and instead of turning on his music like he would've done a couple days ago, he silently worked at his desk. Anna could faintly hear him muttering to JARVIS and tapping his pencil as he calculated whatever the heck he was working through. Anna didn't have a clue what that was right now, and even though it was her job to find out, she didn't really care. She kinda just wanted to watch her movie like a normal teenager for once.

 _They walked over to a beat up old yellow Camaro with black racing stripes. It was beautiful even with being old and worn down._

 _"This one's got racing stripes," Sam said, stating the obvious._

 _"Yeah," Bobby said. "It's got racing…" he trailed off. "Yeah, what's this? What the heck is this? I don't know nothing about this car," he said. "Manny!"_

 _"What?" Manny yelled back._

 _"What is this? This car! Check it out!" Bobby yelled._

 _Sam opened the driver seat door to get in._

 _"I don't know, boss. I've never seen it. That's_ loco _!" Manny yelled back._

 _"Don't go Ricky Ricardo on me, Manny. Find out!"Bobby yelled._

 _"Feels good," Sam said._

Out of nowhere, Tony piped up from his desk and informed Anna of something she never knew. "In the fourth grade, my robotics teacher told me to build a little robot for the science fair," he said. "I finished it in a couple hours and called it Optimus Prime."

Anna snorted and shook her head. "Yeah, right. If you could do that, you should make me a Bumblebee for Christmas."

"Nah, too much work," he stated before going back to work. Anna just went back to watching her movie.

"You're the one that said you could do it in a couple hours," Anna pointed out.

"Yeah, too much effort," he repeated, earning him a snort from the girl.

 _"How much?" Ron asked._

 _"Well," Bobby said. "Considering the semi-classic nature of the vehicle with the slick wheels and the custom paint job…"_

 _"Yeah, but the paints faded," Sam interrupted._

"What do you mean by _'semi-classic_?' That baby is _beautiful_ ," Anna said, talking back at the TV. This, of course, was received with weird looks from the black haired man sitting at the very expensive desk, but overall he ignored her and went back to work.

 _"Yeah, but its custom," Bobby said._

 _"Its custom faded?" Sam asked._

 _"Well, this is your first car. I wouldn't expect you to understand," Bobby said as he stood up to look at Mr. Witwicky. "Five grand."_

 _"No," Ron said. "I'm not paying over four, sorry."_

 _"Come on, get out. Get out of the car," Bobby told them._

 _"No, no, no. You said the cars pick their drivers," Sam argued._

 _"Well, sometimes they pick a driver with a cheap-ass father. Now, out of the car." Bobby_

"God, I'd kill for that car," Anna muttered.

"What car?" Tony asked, peeking over from the desk. "That ratty old camero?"

Anna's eyes widened and she quickly sat up. Her agape mouth hung open in shock at his words. "Ratty? Old? How dare you disrespect bumblebee like that! He's a sexy beast!"

" _Riiiiiight_ ," Tony muttered skeptically.

"Hey, just because it's not redone or in mint condition like your show cars over there doesn't mean that car isn't a classic or doesn't have character! I'd take Bumblebee over one of those any day!"

"Character is a fancy word people use to make 'run down' and 'on it's last leg' sound classy." Tony rolled his eyes.

"It is not, Richboy!" Anna protested.

"It so is." Tony scoffed.

Anna just rolled her eyes and ignored Tony for the rest of the movie. She wasn't going to let him spoil one of her favorite movies with the need to insist that new cars were always better than her sweet little Bumblebee. Before she knew it, the movie was over and she was left sitting there with only the sound of Tony working over at his desk.

"I'm gonna go make dinner," Anna declared, getting up from her spot after the movie finally finished.

Tony flopped his arm up over the computer to wave her away without saying a work. Anna had gotten very used to the little things Tony did. When he was in the middle of a thought and she spoke to him like that, he'd always just wave her off. It let her know that he heard her, so she found it rather respectful for him to do. It was a lot better than just being ignored, that was for sure.

That wasn't the only thing Anna noticed about Tony though. She saw a lot of odd little things. He never liked to be handed things, which she thought was really weird. She'd always have to put it on the desk or table or something, or he'd just take it from her without her holding it out to him. He hated to be handed things and that was one of the biggest mysteries she had yet to solve. Not that she had really solved much of anything in the two and a half weeks she had been there.

Anna nearly ran into Pepper once her feet landed on the main floor. "Shit, sorry Pep," Anna apologized.

Pepper just chuckled. "It's okay," she told her. "You and Tony seem to be getting along better," she observed.

"Yeah, we are," Anna said. "All because of stupid math homework, believe it or not."

"Huh, that it surprising," Pepper muttered.

"You want to stay for dinner? I'm just about to put on the steak," she offered.

"Sure, I'd like that," she said with an appreciative smile. "Would you like some help?"

"If you'd like," Anna said. "I've got it covered, but I'll never turn down a helping hand. Could you peel the potatoes for me?"

"Sure," Pepper said, setting her things on the island. "Seems like Tony's been eating well," she chuckled. "He'd kinds forget to eat most of the time, and when he didn't, it was fast food cheeseburgers."

"That's a heart attack waiting to happen," Anna said.

"And, of course, when I try to tell him that, he doesn't listen," Pepper muttered.

"So I've noticed," Anna laughed. "There's a couple things I've noticed about Tony I can't really figure out. Like why he always drives when he has a driver."

Pepper slowed down her work, and looked up at Anna cautiously. "I think it's because of his parents," she answered. "They both died in a car accident when he was younger, so maybe he thinks he's behind the wheel, he can make sure nothing bad happens."

"That's…..really sad, actually," Anna admitted, her movements in seasoning the steaks halted. "But, I guess it makes sense, in Tony's weird way. But that leads me into wondering why he doesn't like to be handed things."

"I've got my own theories, but who knows if I'm actually right," Pepper said.

"Well, I'm all ears," Anna told her. "And if anybody's going to be right, it's you. You know him best out of everybody."

"Okay, well, he's the CEO, so people used to hand him things all the time to sign and whatnot. He signed for the making and the shipping of weapons for the U.S. and as we found out later, the enemy through Stane. When he was taken, he was forced to work for them, and he witnessed exactly what his creations were capable of. I think it really scared him. I think something in his head snapped and he realized that everytime he got handed something, something bad happened.

"Plus, because of his fame and publicity, he has a hard time trusting people. So he can only be handed things from people he trusts. Me, and evidently you. He knows we'd never hand him something to harm him."

Now that was a blow to the heart. That was the hard part about working undercover. Anna always had a hard time detaching from everything emotionally. One of the biggest jobs she had done before this was in Russia with her brother. They were undercover in the Bratza, and Anna had managed to gain the trust of one of the sons of one of the higher ups, which lead her to getting more information than her brother. But she was in a relationship with Yassen, and even though she knew he was a bad guy, he did have good qualities to him, which made getting closer to him easier, but it also made it so much harder to betray him. Her cover was still in tack, so so far he didn't know he really had been betrayed.

But the point of it all was that Anna had a hard time letting go, and not caring, and she knew that this mission was bound to end up getting compromised. She couldn't stay there as Tony's ward for her whole life, and she would be compromised. She'd hurt Tony. That was the last thing she wanted. Because hurting Tony meant hurting someone she really did care about, which in hurt hurt her.

Anna cleared her through, clearly uncomfortable, though she figured Pepper just thought she was getting emotional over the fact that Tony trusted her. "So, why does he always do the peace sign thing in pictures?"

"There was this young soldier, only a little older than you, that was with Tony when he was taken. It has something to do with him, but he doesn't really clarify it. It still hurts him," Pepper answered.

"Tony's story is far more tragic than I thought it was," Anna muttered, going back to work.

"Yeah, most people don't take any of that into consideration. I'm not saying he's a saint. He's far from it. He had a long list of defects even before all of this happened, but he's not the same man he was then and nobody seems to really take that into consideration."

"Well, now I do, so maybe we can change it one mind at a time," Anna said.

Pepper smiled. She truly liked to see that the two were getting closer. It was exactly what Tony needed. He needed someone to help him, to care for him and to care for in return. And Anna, despite everything she was doing behind their backs, really did care about Tony.

* * *

Reporting in was easier than one would think, especially while staying at Tony Stark's. All Anna needed to do was go for a walk and make a phone call. Her phone wasn't paid for by Tony, and she never once left it one in the house so he couldn't bug it. And it was SHIELD issued, which was extremely hard to crack. And even if it was, Tony didn't suspect anything so he didn't even think to try and do such a thing.

Anna was to report in every couple of days to Agent Philip Coulson, her honorary uncle. Phil had joined SHIELD at a young age, though not as young as Anna, and had graduated the SHIELD Academy of Operations, which was the training for their field operations agents, with her father, and her other honorary uncle, Garrett. It was one of three Academies for SHIELD, and it was by far the hardest to graduate from, and had the highest number of dropouts. The hardest to get into was Science and Technology, nicknamed SciTech. In order to get in there, at least one PhD was required. It was where all of their scientists came from. Lastly was Communications, which belonged to their data analysts. It was the easiest of the three to get into.

Anna was trying to avoid going to Operations Academy seeing as she already knew everything they taught there due to her unique position in SHIELD. The deal here and now, was that she wouldn't have to go as long as she did her job. She'd be required to shadow a senior agent for a while before she could really do everything a full agent could do on her own, but overall, that was far more acceptable to her than having to go for four more years of training for things she didn't need to be reminded of.

Phil was rather insistent to Director Fury that Anna be placed under him once everything was over, which she was very much okay with. Her and Phil got on extremely well. They had so much in common. They were both comic book geeks. They often talked for hours about Captain America, Phil's all time hero. Plus, Phil was one of the best agents. He stood for everything SHIELD was founded for, to protect people no matter what. He was everything Anna strived to be.

So, as well as reporting in, Phil would often check up on how Anna was doing, as well as how Tony was treating her, seeing as he knew very well what Tony was like.

"Eh, he's his usual self," Anna answered on her walk. "I think my math grade is actually going up thanks to him though."

" _That's one good thing, I guess,"_ Phil answered. " _Anything new to report in?"  
_  
"Other than the fact that Pepper thinks he actually trusts me? No, not really," Anna informed him.

" _Good, good. That puts you in the perfect position to avoid suspicion,"_ Phil said.

"I don't know, I feel kind of bad. I mean, Tony doesn't trust many people to begin with, and when he finds out…"

" _Anna, it's your job, remember your priorities,"_ Phil reminded her. "You job is to keep an eye on him and to report anything new and concerning."

"I know, but he's really not that bad of a guy, and he doesn't deserve to be hurt like that," Anna continued.

" _Anna, thinking like this is only going to hurt you in the end,"_ he told her.

"Gah, I know!" Anna growled, mainly to herself. "I know. I've been trying to work on it." She sighed, running a hand through her dyed black hair. "And here I thought getting attacked to Tony Stark was impossible."

" _Just look after yourself, okay?"_

"I always do," she assured him.

" _Okay, report back in a couple days. Night, Anna,"_ he told her.

"Night, Uncle Phil," Anna said before hanging up the phone.

The lines when dead, and Anna was left standing on the side of the road all alone, feeling worse than she had before the call.

* * *

 **So, Anna's getting attached, and so is Tony. That's not good. We all know how this is gonna end, don't we? Anyway, hope you guys like the chapter. Let me know what you think!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- Lol yeah, that was thanks to StillDoll13. She helps me on Tony all the time. This whole story pretty much is all her Tony. It's so much more fun to write and read when someone else is helping you, because then you never know what you're going to end up with, which makes it sound like a real conversation instead of something completely scripted.

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- I really love Tony and Anna's relationship, and how it grows. They really do end up caring for eachother, and it's so sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.


	6. Thanksgiving

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel, just Anna and her fellow OC's.**

* * *

Chapter 5  
Thanksgiving

"Are you sure you want to go to all this effort?" Pepper asked, worried that the teen was overworking herself as she put the potatoes on the stove to boil.

"Of course," Anna said. "There's nothing better than a home cooked turkey on Thanksgiving."

Having people to eat with on Thanksgiving was different for Anna. Normally on Thanksgiving they would be out in the field undercover in other countries that did not' celebrate the American holiday. And even when she did find herself celebrating, she was alone or her family didn't care to do anything for it.

"You didn't tell Tony we cancelled the caterer, did you?" Anna asked.

" _No, you said you wanted it to be a surprise, Ms. O'Connell,"_ JARVIS answered.

"JARVIS, how many times do I have to tell you, please call me Annie," she insisted.

" _Of course, Ms. Annie,"_ he corrected himself.

As the month started to come to a close, Anna was finding herself much, much more comfortable at the Stark Mansion. She was slowly starting to think of it as a home. She was used to how things operate here. She like hearing JARVIS wake her up every morning, and making breakfast for herself because Tony was never awake then. She liked, for once, going to school and coming back to do homework in the lab while Tony worked as well, shooting him questions every once in awhile for her math homework. She liked making dinner for them every nice, and chatting about this and that and everything in-between. She was finding out a lot about TOny, and she never thought she find herself actually enjoying his company.

Pepper, of course, was also a pleasant presence. She often found Pepper working upstairs in the living room when she got home, and she always invite the woman to stay for dinner. She was a very pleasant, funny, polite, caring woman to speak to, and Anna really enjoyed her company. She was the mother figure Anna never really truly had. She found that she could talk to her about nearly anything.

It was weird. Anna was so used to doing everything on her own, and now she couldn't possibly see doing anything differently than how it was now. She had never wished for things in her life to be different. Anna loved being a part of SHIELD. She loved undercover work. She loved making a difference and protecting the people.

But being there in Malibu with Tony and Pepper, Anna found herself thinking less and less about SHIELD and more and more about everyday life there instead. She was starting to feel more like a normal teenager with normal problem. And that scared the hell out of her.

This mission was changing Anna, and she wasn't sure if it was for the better or not.

By the time Tony came up from the lab for dinner, Anna and Pepper had completely set the table. The food smelled really good, and it sat picturess on the table by the large window overlooking the ocean. It was the perfect spot for a dinner like that.

Once the food was passed around, each person dug into their overly stuffed plate. Instantly, each person could tell that the turkey was extremely dry and over seasoned. Anna had never cooked a turkey before, and she had followed the recipe she found online to the T, but maybe she had messed up the portions. She swallowed down the mouthful and quickly went for her water to try and help wash it down with, but nearly spit it back out when she heard Tony's opinion on the meal.

"Turkey is kind of dry this year." Tony commented. "And the stuffing is making my nose run from too much thyme. Can we cater from the people last year next year?" He asked Pepper.

"Uh, Tony-"

Anna gulped, her eyes starting to water a bit. She had put so much effort into the meal and it all turned out like crap. The only good thing that came out was the mashed potatoes. All she had wanted was one good Thanksgiving as a family, even if it wasn't really her own family. She deserved it, as did Pepper and Tony. Especially Tony.

"I'm not hungry anymore. May I be excused?" Anna pipped up, cutting Pepper off.

"Uh, Alien, you said that the Thanksgiving meal was your favorite part of the holiday...you okay?" Tony asked her.

"Yeah, just….not hungry," she repeat. "The pie's on the counter if you want it." With that, she quickly got up from the table and dashed up to her room to prevent him and Pepper from seeing the tears finally streaming out from her eyes. She ran into her room, closing the door quickly behind her before she went to her balcony to get some air.

 _All I wanted to do was make a homemade meal for him. He's never had that before and I just wanted him to feel what a family felt like again. I wanted to feel what a family felt like again…._

The holidays always reminded her of the family she lost, and the family she never really had. It sucked, and she hated it, so that was why she really wanted to try and change it this year with Tony and Pepper. She couldn't do it with her brother because they both were undercover, of course, but Tony and Pepper were the closest people to family Anna had other than Phil.

Anna could make out the sound of her bedroom door creaking open. She heard slow footsteps making their way over to her out on the balcony, and she instantly knew who it was.

"Hey Annie...look I...I didn't know you did that for me," Tony muttered, his hands growing potatoes in his pockets. "I...don't know what a homemade meal is supposed to taste like, I've always had five star chefs cook it, so it's never had the home feel or taste to it. They didn't put any...passion behind it cause they get a paycheck and that's all that matters to them. That's all that matters to anyone. What they get. No one's gone out of their way to do something for nothing with me before...you're the first kid so..." Tony coughed a bit into his fist and grumbled something softly. "...Thank you." He coughed uncomfortably.

Anna didn't take her eyes off of the view as she addressed Tony. "I've never had a family Thanksgiving before," she admitted, both for her real self and her cover.

"That makes two of us, I guess, so...good first try on both of our parts. I mean...I'm usually drunk off my ass by now." Tony said.

"So why aren't you?" she asked glancing up at him.

"Pepper hid my alcohol...and I have to be an example..." Tony grumbled.

Anna snorted out a laugh. "Leave it to Pep," she giggled. "Sorry it wasn't good," she apologized. "Wanna go hunt down your booze?"

"Hell yeah." Tony said and tossed an arm over her shoulder so they could go do that. "And it was pretty good. Especially those potatoes."

"That was the only good thing," she pointed out. "Besides the pie. I _know_ I make good pies."

"I do too." Tony laughed. "And come on, the potatoes are always everyone's favorite anyway."

"Besides the pie," she said, hip checking him.

"Always the pie."

* * *

 **So this one's really short, but I wanted to do something for a Thanksgiving for them. I thought it was really cute that Anna wanted Tony to have a family holiday for once, and herself too. Didn't go exactly how she wanted, but turned out nice in the end. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews in the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-** _ Yeah, I wish I could do a crossover with Transformers, but I think it's bee to messy. I do have a series that I've been working on for years for Transformers though for Bumblebee or Ironhide with a Soldier girl though. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter!

 ** _Fangirling007_** \- Phil def. is one of those characters. There's no way not to love him! There will be a lot more of Phil to come too, so we have that to look forward to. I can't wait for you to see their relationship more.


	7. Goodnight Me, By Tony Stark

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel, Iron Man, Avengers, Agents of SHIELD, Goodnight Me, by Tony Stark (Though there are some changes to that too), etc. Just Anna and her story.**

* * *

Chapter 6  
Goodnight Me, By Tony Stark

Palermo, Italy was absolutely beautiful in Anna's opinion. The heat wasn't exactly to her liking, but she hated anyplace that was hot to begin with. She would much rather be someplace where she could put more layers on because, after all, there was only so many layers that could be taken off in public before one could get arrested.

But overall, Palermo wasn't all that bad. It was the capital in Sicily, Italy, and had some beautifully preserved and restored Byzantine architecture. With over 600,000 residents, it was one of the most populated places Anna had ever been assigned, which meant being around people, and more body heat, which meant it was even hotter. Anna just couldn't get over the heat.

But she wasn't there alone, which meant she had to keep her complaining down to an absolute minimum. After all, if she complained once, her father would smack her upside the head, or give her a swift whack of the belt. SHIELD help no place in their ranks for whiners, he'd often say. She was a spy, not a teenager, she was often reminded. And her mother agreed with him, of course.

She knew they had a point, honestly she did. And that often kept her from opening her mouth around her parents. Anna, the sarcastic wise-ass, was not so herself while with her parents.

So Anna tried her best to shove her feelings down and do her work like she was supposed to. She went to school, made friends, pretended to be a normal Italian girl names Velia Abramo with normal Italian girl problems while her and her parents tried to get intel on an Italian Mercenary group. They didn't even know the name of this organization, which was saying something since they were SHIELD, and SHIELD knew everything.

Everything was going well too, until there was a leak somewhere that the family were actually spies. Nobody knew where it came from, but everybody knew the outcome.

The Carr family was taken by the mercenary group and tortured. They wanted to know who was behind the investigation on them, and the perfect way to do that was by torture.

That had been the longest day of Anna's life, that was for sure. It started off slow with threats and yelling. Nobody fell for that. So stricter was what came next. It wasn't all that complex of a plan. They wanted to try and intimidate all of them into telling who they worked for and what they knew, and when they didn't work, they went in for the major threats and punishment.

Seeing as they knew Anna, or Velia Abramo, was in fact a young teenager. It wasn't something that she could hide, and it wasn't something they wanted to. Their cover was as a family, and normally people didn't suspect a two adults with a child to be spies. But, since they now knew they were spies, she was their easiest target. A child was less likely to hold out during torture. They get scared. They don't want to die. And even if they did hold out, the torture in front of the adults could hopefully get them to admit to something in a slight chance they'd stop hurting the child, especially if they really were related.

So Anna was the first to be tortured.

The main torture initiator stood in front of Anna. He liked to circle around her to intimidate right off the back. He brought the pocket knife up to Anna's face and gently, without cutting, caressed her face with it. Anna flinched, trying to back away in the chair as much as she could. She whimpered, her eyes squeezed shut. She'd beat herself up over that show of weakness later.

He pressed, putting a shallow put in Conley's cheek. He took the knife and slowly pushed it into the flesh of Anna's midsection, causing her to scream. He turned it, causing the girl to go slightly limp. The man grabbed her long hair and forced her head up to look at him. He did it again in another area on Conley's stomach, digging and carving. Anna scream in pain, hoping someone would hear and come help, but nobody would. After all, the only people that would help were the two people, Christopher and Amelia Carr, tied to chairs in front of her. They squirmed and were uncomfortable, trying to escape, but the two guards behind them definitely weren't going to let that happen. The man had all the time in the world to torture the fifteen year old girl.

The man sat back for a moment, looking at the sticky blood covering his hands. Heset the Knife on the table leg to rub her hands together, attempting to get some of the blood off, but instead it just made it coat his hand like red gloves. He didn't turn to look at the two adults as he spoke. "You must speak soon, or the child will not last much longer. Tell us who you work for. And what you know."

There wasn't any noise that came from that side of the room, which prompted the man to just go right back to work to try and change their minds. He picked up the knife once more, and went right back to work. He stabbed it into Anna's shoulder. She managed to muffle her scream better that time by clenching her teeth, but not by much.

He slid the knife into her flesh once more, turning it slightly, causing the girl to scream again, tears pouring out. He backhanded Anna in the face, forcing her head to the side. "I'm surprised the child had not spoken yet," the man continued to mutter in Italian, his native tongue. "Perhaps you need more motivation, yes?"

The torturer went back to the wound on Anna's shoulder and pushed into it with his fingers, digging, causing even more pain in that area that there already was. He took his fingers out and whipped them on the white pants he wore, most likely for psychological effects, as well as trying to get a little bit of the dripping blood off of his hand.

Anna's head started to droop. It wasn't from the blood lose. She was just in a lot of pain. "Hey!" he yelled, lifting her head to make her look at him. Once her head was up and balancing on its own, he let go. "You are not allowed to blackout, child. This is your own torture, your own fault for getting in the way of us!" He pressed her thumb into one of the wounds on her stomach making the girl groan. The pain was scream worthy, but she didn't have the strength to do so anymore.

He sighed in frustration. He would've expected the adults to last this long, let alone the child. "You don't think I am not being serious when I say I will kill her?" he asked, turning towards the adults. He walked over to them, the knife being fiddled with once again in his hands. "Perhaps you need a little more motivation?"

"You're not going to get anything out of us," Christopher, a glare in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"Is that so?" the torturer muttered, walking behind the tied up spy. Once he was directly behind him, he continued speaking. "Then you are of no use to me." He moved quickly and swiftly, the knife working its way around his neck, letting it wide open.

The blood spilled out over his clothes, and there was the distinct noise of choking and gurgling from the dying man, though it couldn't be heard over the screams from both Anna and her mother, Amelia.

* * *

Anna nearly woke up screaming. It had been so long since that had happened. It took her by surprise, and perhaps that was why it hit her so hard. She showered to wash the sweat that had built up on her skin from her terror, and went downstairs to sit with her feet in the infinity pool with a bag of large gummies she liked to snack on every once in awhile. Even December in Malibu was cool, so her feet were freezing, but she didn't care. Anything to make her a bit more numb at the moment.

There weren't a whole lot of times where Anna really missed her parents. She did, of course, miss them, but her parents were hard and mean, and only cared about the mission for the most part. They'd gladly sacrifice her if it meant saving disgrace for SHIELD. She missed them because she was supposed to, and they were her parents, but they were never very good parents. They were good teachers and agents, but not parents. Phil was a lot better of a parent than they had been, and he wasn't blood.

But Anna missed them, especially after the nightmares. She always regretted how things played out. Who wouldn't? She wanted to be able to change it. She didn't want them to die. She didn't want to have to go through that. Nobody should have to go through it. She'd change it if she could.

And after her father died, there was the nightmare of how her mother died, in a very similar manner to how her father had. It had been through torture, of course, but it had been through strangulation rather than a slit throat. And then, another nightmare was of how she escaped, having to slip out of her sell completely broken and bleeding. She had to sneak through halls and, in the end, was discovered by many of the guards. She had to fight her own way out, and that involved a lot of killing. Anna was only seventeen years old, but she had more blood on her hands than some senior agents at SHIELD.

And each tragic event has it's own vivid nightmare that played out in her head occasionally when she fell asleep. They haunted her, never letting her forget the demons of her past.

"What the hell are you doing out here at this time of night? You've got school!"

Anna jumped. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Tony walk out after seeing her. He had to have been on his way to bed from the lab. "Couldn't sleep," Anna told him, looking up at him with black circles under her eyes. "Bad dreams."

"Yeah...yeah those suck. I'd offer my usual remedy of whiskey but it's kind of illegal." Tony muttered as he walked closer.

"Yeah," Anna muttered. "Don't really think it'd help anyway."

"Understandable." Tony said sitting down.

"I miss my parents," she admitted, staring off into the water, not really seeing the site before her though.

"I understand that too." Tony muttered.

 _At least you didn't see your parents die_ , Anna wanted to say. SHe didn't, of course. But she really wanted to. "It's been a long time since I've had those nightmares."

"They have a way of sneaking up on you." Tony grunted. "Hate to say it but it never goes away."

"Didn't think so," Anna sighed. "Not when it's something that big, that bad. It's a mental scar."

"You know what always makes me feel better though? Goodnight me, by Tony Stark!" he told her.

"You're kidding," Anna said, looking at him skeptically.

"No!" Tony said pulling her close. "Hush now, and listen to my brilliance."

"More like bullshit…" Her words went ignored though.

"Goodnight Pepper, goodnight bed, goodnight images in my head. Goodnight science, goodnight wine, goodnight expensive interior design."

Anna snorted, laying her head against his shoulder, her hands wrapping around his arm, cuddling into his side as she listened to him go on with his own version.

"Goodnight Dummy, and robot friends. Goodnight invitations to things I won't attend."

"Party's stink anyway," Anna pointed out.

"Shh, don't interrupt my brilliance," Tony scolded, to which was received with an eye roll and silence. "Goodnight cars and giant gummies," he said, stealing Anna's snack with a protest from the girl as he popped the last one into his mouth. "Goodnight things only I think are funny! Goodnight suits of Iron Man. Goodnight productive attention span. Goodnight arc reactor in my chest, Goodnight Mark 1, 2, 3 and more, I swear I'm not obsessed."

"You are too," Anna muttered.

"Goodnight mark that smells like cherry. Goodnight JARVIS asking, "Is this really necessary?'" Tony finally finished.

"You're such a dork," Anna giggled, cuddling into his arm even more.

"Thanks, feel better?" Tony asked her.

"Yeah," she muttered sleepily. "Thanks for the company, Tony."

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay on this one. I've have more than half of it done for the longest time, but the torture scene just seemed to get me. I had so much planned for it, including adding in the death of her mother, as well as the escape. Maybe I'll go into detail of how it happened exactly some other time, but I just had a really hard time getting it down in words instead of just in my head, you know? Anyway, I hope everybody like it. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! Thanks.**

Thanks go to the following people for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Fangirling007-**_ I have to thank StillDoll13 for her accurate representation of Tony. I just tell her where I wanted the conversation to go, and how we get there is all a mystery to us, but it always comes out really well. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter and I hope to hear more from you!

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ There's gonna be a lot of fluff chapters up until about...Chapter 11. That's when shit really starts to hit the fan. It might be sooner though, depending on if I combine chapters into one instead of multiples, but it's a general estimate. I have everything planned out through Avengers and into Cap 2. Yeah, Tony is a good guy. I love him, but some people just don't portray him as well as I think he should be. Tony's cocky and can be a dick, but he's really a good guy, especially if he likes you and are a friend. I'm so glad you love the way he's portrayed though. And one of the main reasons for this story was to feature Tony and get people to like him more, to empathize and understand him better. That's why him and Anna are kinda alike.


	8. Happy Holidays

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Iron Man, IM2, etc. I just own Anna.**

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Chapter 7

Happy Holidays

Christmas was a lot more fun than Thanksgiving had been, that was for sure. Instead of having the decorators do the tree, or even the whole mansion, Anna dragged Tony and Pepper along with her to do it. What was the point of being all festive if she wasn't the one spreading it and doing the work. It was so much more worth it doing it themselves, or so Anna thought, at least.

Each member was forced to listen to Christmas music and wear Santa hats on Christmas Eve as they finished the decorations. They ate cookies as they strung popcorn onto string for the tree, though more of it was eaten then ended up on the string.

All of the classics played on the TV as well, which, of course, included Die Hard. This was Anna's _favorite_ Christmas movie, and she wouldn't listen to anybody that said otherwise. Tony kept pestering her about it just because he knew it would get to her, and he love to see her get all flustered and red in the face as she scolded him and went on her usual rant on how she believed it to be so. He just loved the reaction.

Eventually, in the middle of Die Hard 2, the group fell asleep on the couch. It wasn't until early morning that Anna finally woke up and made her way to her bedroom to open the few presents sent to her from her brother Clark, Phil, and Garrett. Most of the gifts revolved around comic books. After opening theme and returning downstairs to make breakfast, Tony and Pepper woke up to join her.

Leftovers from the night before was a very nice breakfast. After stuffing themselves once more, it was finally time for presents. Pepper had gotten her some very interesting books on World War II, and in return, Anna had given her a really nice, modern desk ornament for her desk in her office. It was a self moving pendulum. Once it started, the momentum would continue it moving. She knew how much Pepper like modern art so it was a very good gift for her.

And then there was Tony….What did one get the man that had everything? The only thing she could think of some cheep and sentimental. She had to appeal to the man that he liked to hide, and there was really only one thing she could really think of doing. Anna bought a simple silver picture frame and placed in a photo of Tony and Anna inside it. They didn't have any photos around the place of them. Not that there was really any photos other than are around the place to begin with, other than enlarged magazine covers that featured tony himself, so she thought it would be a good thing for him to place on his desk.

He joked about the gift being cheap and sappy as he tossed it on the couch cushion next to him, but a couple days later when Anna was in the lab doing some winter break homework on the couch like she normally did, she found that the picture frame was placed right on his desk where he could clearly see it while sitting there. And that made her smile for several days.

Tony's gift to her was far more expensive. There were a lot of presents, including, but not limited to, a shit load of clothes he had Pepper pick out for her, a car, and a stack of movies. However, all of those paled in comparison to the last gift he pulled out of his pocket. He handed Anna a small velvet box, one of those ring cases guys always opened when proposing to their girlfriend.

Anna opened it, and couldn't help but stare at the beautiful little blue diamond ring inside. In the center of the ring was a blue diamond, the same shade as the light that came out of his arc reactor. The ring itself was designed to look like his arc reactor. Around the blue diamond were smaller white diamonds indicating the outer lights and sections of the reactor. It was expensive, it was beautiful, and God, it made her feel guilty. It didn't help that since she got it, she refused to take off the ring. It was a constant reminder of what could happen if things went bad, and that was definitely something she didn't want to happen. She cared too much for both Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, and Tony for that.

It wasn't until New Years, sitting in one of the lawn chairs by the pool with Tony and Pepper and Happy watching the fireworks Tony bought and was setting off that she really started to think about everything that had been going on the last couple months.

Anna had only been there for a couple months, but now that she was here, she didn't want to leave. The quiet (quiet in the sense of bodies inside, not the noise on the street) apartment in NYC wasn't as welcoming as it had once been. Having Tony and Pepper around all the time had become a comfort she didn't want to lose. And even if they weren't there, she had Jarvis to talk to. The AI was surprisingly very easy to talk to.

After everything that happened in Palermo with her parents, she appreciated the quiet in the apartment. It was a constant reminder that she had to be better. She couldn't let something like that happen again. It was something she needed to make herself a stronger person, a stronger agent. It motivated her to make sure she was never the cause of others getting killed again (Even if it really wasn't her fault).

But now that she finally had someone around with her, it showed her just how much she missed having people around her. Her brother was always on a mission or some sort, so they barely ever got to see one another, so having Tony around to joke with and tease was something she didn't realized she missed and needed.

Anna looked over at Tony, her light eyes focusing on his face as he paid attention to the explosions before them. It was so weird to think that they were now so much closer to one another. They had been so distant and rude to one another upon her arrival, but now she couldn't imagine a day without him in it.

He was such a hard ass, smart ass, and an ass in general, but he was also funny, and he was so smart, and he actually was very thoughtful when he wanted to be. Sure, he said and did stupid things a bit more than a normal person, but he did go out of his way to make sure she was comfortable here. He spoke in layman's terms when talking and helping her with work, or informing her on what he was doing when she asked. He was giving her all of this stuff in an attempt to make her happy.

Now if that wasn't a good man, Anna didn't know what was. Every human had their flaws. Tony definitely wasn't the exception to that.

But that just made her want to make him happy even more. From what she knew, Tony didn't have the most affectionate childhood. His parents died when he was a little older than she was. He had trust issues. People hardly took him seriously. They had both been taken captive and tortured. People they cared about have died.

There were more things in common between them than either of them realized. Or, at least Tony realized.

And because she didn't want to hurt him, it was one of the biggest reasons why Anna wished she could just stay there and live out the rest of her life as Annie instead of Anna. For once in her life she actually enjoyed being "normal." For once she had somebody to come home to. Someone to help her with her homework. She could eat dinner with someone and talk about her day.

As much as she hated to admit it to herself, because that really made it real, Anna didn't want to go home and back to SHIELD. And that terrified her.

* * *

 **Okay, so this one's a little short, but it's primarily meant as a reflection chapter. It's just setting things up for things to come, really. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it and found it a tad bit emotional. Please leave a review! They make updates come faster!**

Thanks for the following reviewer for their review on the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ I know, I love the Goodnight Me part. I had to change some of it in order to make it fit this part of the story, seeing as the original involves things from IM3, but I loved it and just had to use it. Fanfiction is wonderful that way. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you liked this one as well.


	9. Unknowns

**Disclaimer: I don't know anything Marvel: IM, IM2, etc. Just Anna.**

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Chapter 8  
Unknowns

Things got back to normal very quickly after the holidays. School was, surprisingly, a welcomed distraction from Anna's desire to retire and stay here for the rest of her days. Though it didn't help with her growing fondness and attachment to Tony, seeing as she always required his help for her science and math homework.

It didn't help her any when they had dinner together each night and she'd laugh at the sarcastic remarks. She'd smile when he played his music too loud in the lab. She found it endearing. She had gotten attached despite never meaning to. She was in too deep and over her head and she knew, _just knew_ that this whole mission was going to end very badly.

But until then, Anna was just going to enjoy her time there while she could.

"Homework should be a crime," Anna piped up, closing her textbook as she finished her last bit of History work. She glanced over to Tony, just barely seeing him hold a little rectangular device in his fingers, poking his finger to draw some blood. She narrowed her eyes at the sight, and a million questions ran through her head as she watched him place his thumb into his mouth to take away the little drop of blood.

Anna got up and walked to the other side of the desk, leaning over it to see the little screen on the device before Tony swiftfully took it and put it in his pocket, away from her prying eyes. It really concerned her too, seeing as it has said: "Blood toxicity 05%."

"What's that?" Anna asked.

"None of your business, Child," he retorted. He went straight back to work, ignoring her and the question he had just shot down.

Anna just scoffed. "You say that, and act like it's going to make me just drop the subject," she told him, crossing her arms. "It looked almost like a pager, or one of those older styled MP3 players."

"You know what a pager is?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"How young do you think I am?" Anna laughed.

"Like, twelve?" he shot back.

"You know, that's a typical guy/dad thing to do," Anna said. "They never remember how old their children are."

"You're not my child," he said.

"And you're not my dad," she pointed out. "But here you are, forgetting how old I am."

"Shut up and make yourself useful, would you? Grab me that tool box from that create over there," he instructed her, waving over to the crate on the other side of the room.

Anna just rolled her eyes and moved away to do just as she was asked. A small smirk graced her lips. After all, Tony didn't deny it what she had just said. Anna grabbed the rusting black tool box from the top of the inside of the create. It was far heavier than she thought it would be, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. However, what she saw next completely distracted the teen. "Holy shit," Anna muttered, her eyes widening when her eyes just barely caught sight of an object in one of the boxes in the corner of the room. "Do you know what this is?"

Tony glanced over his shoulder to see what she held in her hands. "Junk?" he scoffed before turning back to his work.

Anna just rolled her eyes. "Junk?" She shook her head. "It's a relic! A piece of history! It should be on a wall, not in a box gathering dust!" She turned to Tony, her eyes never leaving the shield in her hands. "What the hell are you doing with Captain America's shield, anyway? Or at least a partial reconstruction replica."

"It's a prototype, Alien. Get your facts straight," he told her.

"This must've cost a fortune," Anna said, bringing it over to the desk with her, the tool box in her other hand. She set the box down on the desk before departing for the couch. "Why would you spend all the money on it and not display it?"

Tony scoffed. "Yeah, cost a fortune to make," he said. "It's the original prototype for the actual shield."

"Wait…" Anna froze. It took several seconds for all of that to sink in before she snapped her head over to Tony's direction. "Are you telling me Captain America was real?"

"Yeah, my dad worked on the project," he said. "New the guy. Practically was obsessed with him."

"No fucking way!" Anna explained. She jumped up, nearly tipping over the monitor on top of the desk. "Are you being fucking serious?"

"No, I completely and utterly lied to you to get you all excited just to crush your little soul," he grumbled. "Yeah, I'm serious. Now can we please have some silence. I'm trying to concentrate."

Tony did seem like he was trying to get something done, and it was obviously kinda bothering him. It most likely has something to do with what he wasn't telling Anna, which was all the more reason to distract him. Plus, this wasn't just a topic Anna could drop. This was Captain America, after all. It was one of her favorite comics of all time.

 _I wonder if Phil knows he was real…..Well, obviously he does. He's a spy!_ Anna thought. "Seriously? What was he like? Do you have any pictures of them together? Can I see?"

"No, I don't have any pictures, and I don't know. I never met him. Dad just gushed about him. But you can't really trust someone that is that obsessed over something to give a clear, accurate picture of what they're like," Tony said.

"That's just so unreal!" Anna went on. She turned around, half sitting, half leaning up against the desk, staring at the partial shield in her hands. "Did you know in the comics they almost called him Super American rather than Captain America? It sounds so stupid now, but that's probably because we all automatically know it's Captain America, and any alteration to that makes it feel weird on the tongue." Anna rambled.

"It's kinda like saying somebody else can be Superman. It's just not right. There can be Supergirl, or Superboy, but it's not the same. Being Batman is different. The Cowl can be handed down to make sure the symbol in the worst city in America, if not the world, still has something to hope for. That someday there will be someone there to save them, that good will prevail. Bruce Wayne will always be Batman, even when Dick Grayson took the cowl. I feel like he's still more Nightwing than Batman though. He is my second favorite Bat though.

"Grayson's one of my favorite superheroes of all time though. He's been through hell and is still such a good person. He brings the perfect amount of serious to a situation that needs it, but has great comic relief. Plus, he's hot and has that whole tall, dark, and handsome thing going for him."

"You're such a freak."

"Look who's talking!"

* * *

It wasn't until the following week that Anna finally got to report back in her new findings on what was going on with Tony. There was the general information she collected on his suit production and modifications, though half of it she didn't understand herself. But more importantly, she relayed the information about testing his own blood for some unknown toxin to Phil.

" _You're positive it said toxicity and nothing else?"_

"Yeah, I'm sure," Anna said, kicking a little rock as she walked down the road from Tony's Malibu Dream House. Her phone was pressed to her ear lazily, one hand growing potatoes in her jeans pocket. "It didn't say if it meant alcohol or anything else. Just toxicity."

" _Did you smell any alcohol?"_ Phil questioned.

"No, nothing. And I've smelled it on him before," Anna said. "So I know it wasn't that. But what else could you test toxicity in the blood for?"

" _Has he had any fevers, chills, rapid breathing, or paleness recently?"_

"You're thinking sepsis," Anna deduced. "He doesn't have any of the symptoms though," she said. "I would've noticed. As far as I can physically see, I can't find anything wrong with him. Mentally on the other hand…"

" _This is serious, Anna,"_ Phil pressed.

"I _am_ being serious, Philip," she retorted. "I care about him. I don't want him to be sick. But I honestly don't have anymore evidence."

" _Alright, keep lookings,"_ he said. " _See if you can get a hold of that testing device. Just don't let him suspect that you've got it."_

"He keeps it on his person for the most part," she said. "I'll see what I can do, but with how often he checks it, I'm not sure there's much I can do with it."

" _Okay, keep us informed."_

* * *

 **Shit hits the fan next chapter. I feel really bad about what's coming, but it has to happen in order for the story to progress. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. Drop a review below for me and let me know what you thought? Please?**

Thanks go to the following for their review on the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ You're the only person that's constantly been review for this story, so I thank you very much for that. Your feedback is wonderful. And I hope you liked the chapter! It was kinda short, but eh. They'll get longer soon enough.


	10. Compromised

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: IM, IM2, Avengers, SHIELD, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 9  
Compromised

The only time Tony ever got to himself in the lab nowadays was after Annie went to sleep. Generally, Pepper would make her appearances during regular work hours, and Anna made herself known around breakfast, as well as afternoons and dinner, but from around ten in the evening and five in the morning, the house was relatively silent for Tony to work.

Not that the lab was ever really silent to begin with. It Tony wasn't working on something, leaving sounds of hammers, welding, and fixing from the various activities he got up to, it was the blaring music that replaced the sounds of tinkering. When he wasn't doing any of that, there was the sound of newfields playing over the computer or television.

JARVIS would pipe up every now and again too, just to inform Tony that something was ready, or something along those lines. Half the time, JARVIS was just there to keep Tony company, sarcastically replying to whatever nonsense Tony spewed out of his very large, very loud mouth.

Tony leaned back in his chair, his feet resting on top of the desk, while his hands went behind his head, fingers interlocking to make sure they stayed in place. His eyes were focused on the specs on the center monitor. AC DC's Thunderstruck rocked loudly over the speakers installed throughout the workshop. His ears were picking up the notes, but really, his mind wasn't taking it all in. Once he had a thought in his head, he couldn't get it out.

His mind wasn't actually on the data in front of him though. His eyes shifted to the photograph facing him. In the glassed frame was the photo Annie had given him on Christmas. The two of them were in that very lab. Tony had been sitting on the couch with one of his Iron Man gloves on, calibrating part a part in the repulsor when Annie had come up behind him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stuck her phone out in front of them to take a very quick, very cute picture of them both. Tony wasn't necessarily smiling. His brow was raised, and he had an amused smirk as he looked at the phone, but it honestly seemed to represent the two of them the best.

Annie was a puzzle to him. He never had been good with kids, and when Pepper sprung the whole ward situation on him. And even then, he hadn't actually thought she was being serious, not until the day she told him that Annie would be there. It took quite a while for the two of them to even tolerate to be in the same room as one another, and it was a bit rocky, even after, but soon enough, Tony couldn't imagine a night not eating a dinner Annie made for him in the lab, or not being there to make sure she corrected the problems in her homework (which there always were).

She was always so appreciative of the help and whatever was provided to her too, which was weird to see too. Kids were supposed to be the complete opposite, right? Tony didn't know. He didn't know kids.

He wondered if she had ever been to Disneyland. Probably not, since he knew she was from NY, and she grew up with little to no money. He supposed that was something they could do this weekend. They could take a trip to Anaheim….She's like that, wouldn't she?

" _Sir, I believe I have something that may interest you,"_ JARVIS spoke up.

"Bring it up on screen, JARVIS ," Tony instructed, his position at his desk never changing.

JARVIS brought up an online newspaper article, the headline in a language Tony wasn't fluent in. His eyes briefly scanned the bold foreign letter in the headline before moving down the article for a mere few seconds, finally determining that it was Russian, or something like it. It wasn't until his eyes landed on the black and white photo of two individuals.

The first individual was a young adult male, no older than twenty-one, but no younger than eighteen. His hair was light in the photo, but not as light as his companion, most likely indicating that his hair was blond, or dirty blond. He was muscular, that was for sure, and a bit taller than average, about 6'1." He had high cheekbones, and a strong jaw. A very handsome face. Though it was clear by the notch in his nose that it had been broken several times.

He wasn't the most interesting part of the photo, however. No, his attention was on the young girl, no older than sixteen, walking with the young man, whose arm was wrapped around her shoulder. Her hair was very light, no doubt blonde, and it hung down elegantly in perfect ringlets. Her bangs hung down over her forehead, and slightly over her eyes. Her light tinted coat's collar was pulled up in an attempt to cover part of her face either from the people taking the photo, or from the cold.

Her pretty little face was no doubt familiar, and it didn't take more than a few seconds of staring at her face to recognise that it was the same pale, pretty face of the teenager that was sleeping upstairs. What Tony didn't understand was why she was blonde, or why she was even in this picture with this stranger.

"What am I looking at, JARVIS ?" Tony asked.

" _Upon your usual request to find any news in regards to your current associates, I connected facial recognition with Annie O'Connell on this new clipping from Russia, published this morning,"_ JARVIS answered.

"Translate," Tony instructed.

" _My pleasure, Sir."_

It only took a couple of seconds for JARVIS to complete his task, and the second he was done, Tony was instantly reading through the article. What he found left him with even more questions, and he knew once he figured out the answers, he wouldn't be a happy man.

* * *

" _ **Trouble in Paradise!**_

 _It's been almost six months since local hottie Yassan Mogilevich, nineteen year old Moscow modeling son to restaurant mongrel Gregor Mogilevich, has been seen out on the town with his younger girlfriend, Yana Yerkhov. The young couple had been the hottest topic and heartbreak for many young girls. Despite the heartbreak, the young player seemed to settle down his wild tendencies when the hot young blonde came into the picture._

 _The young couple appeared to be dating for eight months before Yerkhov's disappearance from the public eye. Whatever the cause for the separation may be, we wish the best to both of them."_

* * *

"JARVIS , do a background check on Yana Yerkhov," Tony instructed, leaning closer to the monitor.

"Yes, Sir," JARVIS answered, though he wasn't silent for long. " _There are no results found for Yana Yerkhov on any known database other than this article."_

No results, that wasn't a good sign. Obviously she had been in articles before this one. This Yassan character was in the papers a lot, it seemed, but whatever articles that had been posted before on both Yassan and Yana had been erased from history, apparently. He knew the internet was forever, but if JARVIS couldn't find them, that only meant one thing...

"Son of a bitch…"

* * *

It was always such a relief getting home from school in the afternoon. And being a Thursday meant she was that much closer to having the whole weekend to do whatever she wanted, be it nothing at all or cleaning the whole house if she wanted. She could do whatever, and that was such a nice feeling.

It took Anna a bit longer than it should've to notice the very small pile on her things in the center of the living room. And it wasn't everything from her room either. Just the bag she had brought with her on her first day assigned there. And she assumed the contents were exactly what she had packed too. Why it was there in the living room, on the other hand, was a mystery to her.

Anna narrowed her eyes and walked up to her things, placing her backpack on the floor next to them. She turned around, looking around for any clues as to why they were there.

Tony was sitting at his computer in his lab, furiously typing on the computer. From the looks of it he was changing all the electronic locks and key codes on the house. Anna found him there once she got downstairs. Though she nearly ran into the glass door when it didn't open after she entered in her code.

"Hey, Tony," Anna started to greet, knocking on the door. "What's going on? Let me in."

Tony obviously heard her but was not acknowledging her at all, just going through the computer before getting up and taking a sticky note. He walked up to the glass and slammed a hand written note onto the glass. 'I know', was all it said.

"I know?" she mumbled, her expression confused, though her head obviously was screaming at her, wondering what she did wrong in her mission to get compromised. In that exact instant, her palms got sweaty, and she needed to think of a way to cover this up. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The next thing slammed onto the glass was a photo of her, in Russia with Yassan. Again he slammed the I know note in the glass as if to reiterate the statement. He was so livid he wasn't speaking to her, and for someone like Tony that way saying something.

"What the hell is that?" she asked. "Is that Russian?" she asked, playing dumb. Her performance was phenomenal too. She could've won a Tony Award had she been in a movie.

Tony flung the things into the air and stomped away, at his desk he picked up stacks of papers and the glass slid open just long enough for him to throw the papers at her before slamming shut again. Holy shit he was having a full mental breakdown and acting like a tantruming child.

Anna bend down and picked up the scattered papers. She knew he found something, obviously her cover as Yana, but she was sure she could deny that and keep her cover if that was all he found. But her worst fear was met when he found her SHIELD record and papers. Including all of her past mission records, excluding the Palermo mission, which was a level 10 clearance level.

"Tony…." Anna mumbled, desperate to talk to him. This was her worst fear. Hurting Tony was the absolute last thing she wanted to do. And here he was, acting his shoe size instead of his age.

"I'm sorry Agent Carr, but Mr. Stark is refusing to talk to you and has designated me to help you off the property." JARVIS explained to her actually sounding regretful.

That was understandable. Very unfair to her, though she supposed she didn't really get a say in all of this after hurting him like she had. "I don't even get to explain myself?" Anna asked the AI.

The AI was about to respond when Tony lost it, interrupting as he yelled at her through the glass. "There's nothing to explain. You lied. You get the hell out."

"Don't you think you deserve an explanation?" Anna said. "I owe you that, especially after all you've done for me!"

Of course he wouldn't listen to her. Why should he when she was a spy? And spies, obviously, were known for their lies and deception. But they had gotten close, and all she wanted to do was prove to him that everything wasn't a lie. That caring for him had been completely and utterly true. She just needed a chance. "No, I'm done hearing anything. If you want to pay me back for all I've done, you can leave!"

"I will, I promise, if that's what you want…." Anna said, her throat closing. _Even if it's not what I want…_ "But if you could just _hear me out_ , Tony…"

Tony waved her off as he sat back down at his desk.

"The only thing I lied to you about was my name, okay?" Anna said. "Yeah, and maybe it wasn't all Pepper's idea to have me come here…"

Tony rested his chin in his hand as he went back to glaring at his computer screen as he worked.

"You honestly think I was faking all of this?" Anna pressed. "That I'd _fake_ getting close to you? That I'd _fake_ caring about you?"

"Yeah, that's all you SHIELD agents do. You lie to get what you want in the end!" Tony said glaring, it obviously not being the first time SHIELD has tricked him.

"That's like saying every pittbull is a bloodthirsty monster, Tony, and you know it!" Anna pressed.

"It is not the same thing and YOU know it." Tony said. "You were ordered to come here right? So you used me, you lied to me, I figured you out. I win. Now get out."

"Oh, so it's a game to you?" Anna said. "You managed to crack the code and that's it? Everything else gets thrown out the window and lost? All because you won't let me explain myself? To _prove_ myself?"

"I let you in! That's what it's about! I let you in on false pretenses so excuse me for being a little to upset to listen to more excuses." Tony said tossing a look at the glass.

"It was my job to make sure you were okay, alright! It was my job, after all of the shit you've been through, to make sure you were getting help, getting better!"

"I. Am. Not. A. Job." Tony said slamming his hand down on the table with each word. "I was fine! Just gone before you showed up. If anything you made things worse."

"I'd hardly call what you were as _fine_ , Tony!" Anna protested. "PTSD is nothing to mess with! And much of what you've done after you got back from Afghanistan has been because of survivor's guilt and your PTSD!"

"I said get out!" Tony said with a sense of finality.

Anna was already breathing heavily from how heated this was getting. Hot tears had built up in her eyes and were threatening to spill out of her eyes. She knew he'd win if he saw her cry, just as much as she knew how anything else she'd say would go in one ear and out the other. No matter how much she wanted to tell him that she truly cared for him, she knew it wouldn't do him any good right now. He needed to hate her, and if that's what he needed, that's what she'd be.

"I'm sorry, Tony," she muttered. She didn't even know if he could hear her as she whispered, but she knew Jarvis had. Finally, with no response to her final words, Anna turned away and headed back up the stair to grab her things.

Once upstairs, Anna didn't hesitate to grab her things and head directly out the door. Halfway down the driveway, Anna pulled her phone out and dialed Coulson. There was only one thing left for her to do, after all.

" _Anna, you're not supposed to check in until Sunday,_ " he answered.

"I've been compromised."

* * *

 **And so ends her undercover work with Tony as Annie O'Connell. There's some more SHIELD busy work in the next couple chapters, but then we hit the events of IM2, Thor, and then Avengers, so that's exciting! I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please drop a review below and let me know what you guys think.**

Thanks to the following for their review(s) on the previous chapter:

 _ **19irene96**_ \- I hope it was worth the wait!

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- Oh, yay! Thank makes me so happy. I'm so glad you feel that way. And yeah, one of the main reasons for this story was to get more Phil, and Tony, since there isn't as much of them in Jamie's story.

 ** _Fangirling007_** \- Thank you! I'm glad you like it. I really like how smooth this chapter/story, the planning process, and everything just lock together so well. It's one of my most planned out series I've ever written. And I'm so excited to get to MY Phase 2, which is where the romance comes in.

 _ **WriterGirl1198**_ \- You thought there was heartbreak before? And now I throw you this? Man, you should see some of the stuff I have planned for Anna. So many feels!


	11. New Assignment

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel: IM, IM2, Thor, Avengers, Agents of SHIELD, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 10  
New Assignment

Fury was generally always on the move. The most time he spent in one place was typically when he had to be in the office in Washington D.C. Though, he was required to travel between offices all over the world. It just so happened that Fury was in New York for a brief period of time.

It was in New York that both Director Nicholas J. Fury and Anna May Carr sat in silence in the rather bare and modern office. Anna stared out the window, her thumb fiddling with the blue and white ring on her pointer finger on her left hand. It had become a habit of her's whenever there was silence in whatever room she was it. A subconscious action done with the ring Tony Stark had given her even before she had been compromised.

The young woman had finally been able to get her hair back to brown instead of the black that she had been required to dye it when she went undercover. It wasn't much, but it did make her feel better to be all natural again. She may be wearing a fancy white blouse and a pair of trousers with heels to look professional for the big bossman in front of her, but at least it was her own clothes, and she could change out of them the second she got back to her apartment.

Fury was sitting behind his desk reading over her case report on how everything went on her mission. The good, the bad, and everything in-between. She knew he had already read it before she had arrival that morning back in New York City, having turned it in the day before while in California. He was most likely looking it over once more in case there was something he wanted to bring up in her debriefing. It wasn't everyday an agent such as herself got debriefed from the top of the foodchain. And Anna, it seemed, had already had it happen three times: Palermo, Moscow, and now this very situation.

Fury closed the file and dropped it on the desk. He intertwined his fingers overtop the manilla folder and looked directly into the young agent's eyes. "No matter what angle I look at the situation," Fury finally spoke up, "you did good work, Agent Carr."

"Thank you, Sir, but it doesn't exactly feel like it," Anna admitted.

"There was only one way this assignment could've ended, Agent Carr, and this was exactly it. When it happened all depended on how well you worked. You managed to to keep your cover in tact far longer than most would've thought, and you managed to get intel on his work, as well as his health condition, something we would've have gotten otherwise," Fury told her. "You did a fine job."

Anna just looked down at the ring on her finger, nodding despite her opinion not having changed.

"In fact, you did such a fine job that I'm going to sweeten the bargain we made before this whole assignment," Fury said.

Being at Tony's had made the deal she had made with Agent Hill completely slip her mind. Eventually, being there was a pleasure more than it was a job, and the whole deal didn't seem all that important. What was important had been family, something she had come to find while undercover. Something that she never truly had in her real life. Sure, she had her parents. Sure, sometimes they acted like parents undercover, but when they weren't, all that mattered to them was their work. Her brother and Phil were the most family she had ever had.

"It's not necessary, Director," Anna informed him. "The deal was generous enough. I don't want to become an inconvenience."

Fury narrowed his eye, and leaned back in his chair. His hands slipped off the desk, still intertwined as they moved to his lap. Anna was always professional with him, to an extent. She, of course, acted like she did with pretty much every other agent in the building, but she always showed Fury respect and acted professional, only to make a joke or sarcastic remark here or there. Even after the death of her family, Anna was still more playful and light than she was right now. Perhaps being on this mission was better for her professionalism and teaching her not to get personally attached than he thought it would. He couldn't help but want those sarcastic remarks back though, it was part of her charm as an agent, after all.

"You'd be more of an inconvenience if you didn't take it, Carr," he told her. "I've always valued your loyalty and heart for this profession, Carr. There's always been some hesitancy due to your age, of course, but your a damn good agent, that's for sure. And we'd be stupid not to use you."

"Thank you, Sir," Anna said, nodding again, this time looking into his eyes. "It means a lot to hear you say that."

"Of course, Carr," he said. "So now, as agreed, you are not required to attend SHIELD Academy of Operations. Nor am I requiring you to finish your high school education. You'd already proven yourself. You will, of course, have to go through a probationary period with a senior field agent. Pending their reports on your work will depend on how long that will be."

"That sounds more than generous, Director. Thank you," Anna said.

We'll get back to you within the next couple days to inform you of your placement," Fury said, standing to walk her out of his office. "Don't make me regret this, Carr."

Anna stood up and offered her hand. "I promise, Sir. I won't make you regret it."

* * *

It was far too quiet.

The gray walls of the Manhattan apartment were welcoming, as was the comfortable couch and fuzzy black rug in the living room. The walls were more colorful with their comic book frames and limited edition copies of various comics that were Anna's favorites. She was the only one there, most of the time, and her brother definitely wasn't one for home decor. Most of the time he wasn't there, so he didn't really care.

But after getting back from the office and changing into one of her Captain America hoodies that had been given to her as a birthday present one year from Phil, a pair of gray sweats, and a mismatched pair of fuzzy socks, Anna plopped herself down on the couch, her thoughts consuming her.

She couldn't get over the fact that the place was too quiet. She gotten far too accustomed to the loud noises coming from Tony's lab; whether it be his work, or his loud music. It was comforting, really. A bit distracting when she was trying to get things done while in the lab, but she had gotten so used to it that silence had kinda become unnerving to her. It was comforting to have the noise, because it meant she wasn't alone, and that Tony was there with her.

And now everything was quiet. The easiest solution would've been to turn on the TV or some music, but apparently, Anna was a masochist. She felt guilty for hurting Tony the way she did, and she deserved to be unnerved, and uncomfortable because of it. He looked so angry, his jaw tense, his nose scrunched. She had never seen him that angry before. And it was all because of her. She had done that to him. She had hurt him.

 _I'm so stupid_ , she kept telling herself. _Don't get attached. Don't make it personal. That's what they always say. And what do you do every time? You appeal to their better humanity and get attached. What good does that do you? I always just gets you hurt, girl_.

Her chest felt so tight, and it was so much harder to breathe. The tears she had been holding back since the whole fight now finally slipped out of the corners, streaking her pale cheeks. She deserved ever it of that pain, she declared. She always hurt the people closest to her. Her parents were dead, making her and her brother orphans. She hurt her brother because of it, never giving him the chance to tell them goodbye, or that he loved them one last time. She took Phil's closest friend away from him. And she hurt Tony.

She needed to stop. She needed to stop feeling and doing this. It would probably mean the death of her. _From this day forward, I declare I will no longer get attached to my assignment,_ she promised herself.

She nearly fell off the couch at the sound of the knock on her door. She got up, grabbing the gun she had resting on the coffee table beside her. Once at the door, she called out, "Who is it?" Gun cocked and ready in case her visitor wasn't welcome.

"It's just me, Anna," Coulson's voice answered her.

Anna lowered her gun and unlocked the door to allow entrance for her honorary uncle. "Hey," she greeted, smiling softly to the man.

Phil smiled back at her, his eyes squinting a bit like they always did when he smiled (though that was definitely a rarity in and of itself). He was wearing a suit, the only thing the man ever really seemed to wear. He did, however, start to loosen his tie upon entry with his free hand, while the other hand was occupied by a bag with Taco Bell spelled out.

"Number Eight, crunchie, large pepsi, extra hot sauce," he said, holding up the bad.

"Mm, you know me so well," Anna hummed in delight, though it didn't completely show in her eyes. She locked the door back up and retreated back to her spot on the couch. Phil had taken up the spot in the comfortable reclining chair that her brother always ended up falling asleep in when he was home desperately trying to finish Lost, which he never seemed to accomplish.

"Yeah, well, I read your report," Phil added, removing the contents of the bag. He had ordered nachos belle grande, he usual, though he generally tried to avoid Taco Bell. And when they did have it, Anna was always sure to avoid the bathroom after they did. He loved it, but it went right through him. "Knew you could use a pick-me-up."

"Right," Anna grumbled, shoving a third of a taco into her mouth with the utmost of unladylike etiquette. "You come to scold me about getting attached?" she asked, her mouth practically full.

"No, but I will scold you for talking with your mouth full," Phil said. "This stuff barely looks edible to begin with. I don't want to see what happens when it's in your mouth."

Anna just chuckled and finished her mouthful before she went on. "So what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't just come by for dinner with family without having an ulterior motive?" he asked, raising a brow at her as he used his spork and his pointer finger to push the food onto the little plastic utensil.

"Nope, you always schedule ahead if it doesn't have another motive behind it," Anna answered. "So what's up, Philip?"

"You know I hate it when you call me that." he grumbled.

"And you're changing the subject," Anna said.

"You're being assigned to me," he finally told her. "I'm your probationary senior field agent."

Anna snorted with a smirk. "Yeah, you're definitely senior, alright," she laughed.

Phil just gave her his signature soldering look.

Anna just laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, but you set yourself up for that one, you have to admit," Anna said. "But honestly, I'm glad it's you. You're the best, and I have a lot to learn from you."

"Like how to not get attached," he said. "I'll help you, Anna."

"Thanks, Phil, I appreciate it," she said. "Honestly."

"Good, you better," he said. "Captain America would be ashamed of you if you weren't."

"Oh!" Anna nearly shouting, jumping up from her seat to turn more towards Phil, crossing her legs under her. "Dude, you'll never believe what I saw when I was at Stark's place."

"I'm scared to ask," he admitted.

Anna rolled her eyes, but smirked nonetheless. "A prototype for Captain America's shield!"

Phil froze at the news. It took several long seconds before he turned to look at her, a childish innocence sparking in his eyes. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, he had it in a crate," she told him. "It was so cool, though Tony didn't really seem all too thrilled about it."

"Well, it is Stark, we're talking about," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Speaking of Stark, we're sending in another agent to go undercover to keep an eye on him and his health. Thanks to you, we know a bit more of what to look for."

"Who are they sending in?" Anna asked at the risk of being shot down. She knew that it was probably classified, but if Phil was going to be her SO, maybe she was privy to the information.

"Romanoff," he answered. "They're putting her in Legal."

"Ah, she'll get a kick out of that," Anna muttered sarcastically.

Agent Natasha Romanoff was a very beautiful, very skilled woman. Anna couldn't remember when she joined, whether it was before she was born or sometime during her time as an undercover, underage agent with her family. Anna didn't know too much about her, just that she used to work for the KGB, she was very smart, and that she didn't hold anything against her, or doubt her skills no matter how old she was. Romanoff even went out of her way to spar with her whenever they were both in the same area.

Anna was a much better hand to hand fighter because of it, though Anna learned a lot more from Agent Melinda May. Though, Anna couldn't tell which female agent would win in a sparring match.

Overall, Anna really liked and respected Natasha. If Anna could be half the agent she was, she'd be great and very pleased with herself.

"I'm sure she'll have an easier job getting Tony's attention," Anna said.

"In a much different way," Phil said. "You did a good job, Anna. You should be proud of what you accomplished."

"You mean making Tony Stark even more paranoid about who he lets get close to him than he already was?" Anna said. "You know how Tony hates to be handed things? Well, he let me give him things. That's telling you something, Phil. Honestly. And God, he looked so mad when he found out. I've never seen him that angry…"

"You have to let this go, Anna. I mean, it'll eat you up alive it you don't," Phil told her. "The information you got for us could very well save his life. You know how stubborn he is. He won't go to a hospital is something really is wrong."

"I know, but-"

"No buts, Anna," he said. "You did good. And you're a good agent."

 _Just not a very good person,_ she thought. "Yeah, okay," she said, too tired to fight. She picked up her soda and held it up to him, as if for a toast. "Here's to a new partnership."

Phil smiled, holding up his own cup to her own. "To never a dull moment!"

And a dull moment there would never be.

* * *

 **And so they become partners! I know I already said this would happen, but now it has! Next chapter has an appearance from Phil, and Clint Barton, so that's exciting, as well as a small solo assignment getting given to Anna, which I think everybody's really going to like. Anyway, I hope you guys like the chapter and let me know what you think! Reviews please!**

Thanks to the following readers for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **19irene96-**_ I'm glad I've got you wanting more!

 _ **WriterGirl1198**_ \- Awww, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make for the feels of the day to get that bad! Please come back to life! This story needs you!

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- Yes, feel all the feels! Feel Anna and Tony's paaaaiiiin! Mwahahah


	12. Best Assignment Ever

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel: IM, IM2, Thor, Avengers, Agents of SHIELD, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 11  
Best Assignment Ever

"Okay, so I've got the dinner order," Clint called to the very scarcely populated office.

Anna looked up from her desk, a tired, amused smirk on her lips. Clint Barton and his playful, boyish smirk gracing his lips walked up to Anna and Phil, both seated at their respective desks next to one another. Clint wasn't in the office very often, let along the New York Branch, but when he was, he was sure to stop in and see both Anna and Phil.

Clint was one of her favorite people in the world. He amazed her. The man was the best marksman she had ever seen, and he had taken it upon himself to personally give her lessons with her handgun and with a rifle, even a bow and arrow from time to time, whenever he could. It didn't help that he just liked to show off to the girl that would often get frustrated with his choice of weaponry. Not that she didn't give him credit where it was due, he was a master at pretty much anything he picked up. Plus, the man was 80% deaf!

He was also just such a funny, sarcastic guy. It was never a dull moment around Clint Barton, especially when Anna was around him and his wife, Laura, and their two kids: Cooper and Lila. Anna babysat a couple times when Clint and Laura managed to get a little bit of time together.

"Chicken and broccoli for the old man," Clint said, placing the food on Phil's desk, away from the open file he was working on completing. Phil just rolled his eyes and took the food. Obviously Clint wasn't going to let the whole "Senior Supervising Agent" thing go after Anna told him, just like Anna had done.

"Sesame chicken, white rice, and a pork eggroll for the lady!" Clint said, giving Anna a little wink as he handed over her little white containers. He plopped down at the desk across from theirs, completely ignoring the fact that it was someone else's desk. "And sweet and sour chicken with extra fortune cookies on the side for me!"

"Thanks, Hawk," Anna told him appreciatively.

"No problem, kid," he said. "You still owe me ten bucks though."

"Damn, I was hoping you'd forget," she joked.

"Steel trap," Barton told her, knocking on the side of his head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Clint. You'll lose brain cells you can't afford to lose," Anna teased.

Before anything else could be said, the elevator doors opened and out walked the big boss man himself, Director Fury. He carried himself like he always did, with purpose and authority. He stalked over to the small group of three, a manilla folder in his hand.

"Evening," he told them.

"Director Fury," Phil greeted.

"Sir," Barton nodded.

"Colonel," Anna greeted, saluting with two fingers lamely. "What can we do for you?"

"Well, I've got a little assignment for you, Carr," he said, handing over the folder to her. "I think you'd gonna like it," he added.

"What is it?" Anna asked, sitting forward to open the folder on her desk.

"Open it and find out," Fury instructed, crossing his arms across his chest, waiting to see her reaction once she figured it out.

Anna opened it just as instructed, and she couldn't believe her eyes. The first thing her blue eyes automatically went to the photo of the military man paperclipped to the top right corner. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she realized who it was. She flipped through, barely reading much of anything until she found that the man in the photo had been found.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Anna muttered under her breath. "You're telling me you found Captain America? You could Steve Rogers?"

"Oh, right, you were undercover when we fished him out of the ice," Clint said.

"Your mission is to bring him to the cabin upstate for some little alone time. Let him come to terms with what's happened. Four days, Carr. Read up," he said. He turned to the two men and nodded. "Gentlemen." And just like that, Fury was gone, leaving the agents to their own devices.

"Holy _shit_ ," she muttered. "I'm gonna meet Captain Rogers!"

"Lucky," Phil grumbled. "All I got to do was see him in the ice when they brought him back."

"I'll be sure to get a picture with him so you don't miss out on all the excitement, Philip," Anna laughed. "Holy cow, Captain America…"

Anna sat back, her feet propped up on her desk as she chewed away at the mouthful of pork egg roll in her mouth. She finally settled down a bit, just a tad, from her initial excitement after finding out what her mission would be, and who could blame her for being that excited? She was going to met thee Captain Steven Grant Rogers: Captain America!

But first, she needed to look over the file. It was crucial. The first thing she'd do was to start with how he woke up. Apparently, they thought the smartest thing to do was to ease him into it. And apparently, that hadn't worked so well.

"He figured out they were lying and broke out?" Anna laughed. "I expect nothing less from Captain America, I guess."

"Yeah, they guy broke out of here like a bat out of hell. Made it all the way to Time Square," Barton informed her, tossing a piece of plain sweet and sour chicken up in the air, only to catch it in his mouth.

Looking over it some more, it was obvious how he figured it out. The serum not only enhanced the man's muscles, but his brain as well. He was smart and observant. Of course he figured it out.

"Well, no wonder he figured it out," Anna muttered, holding up the picture of the brunette agent dressed in military garb, the woman that greeted him. "I mean, you can tell by her bra alone that she's not from his era. I mean, it's a dam push up bra! I mean, 1940's bras were cone shaped, not rounded."

Phil and Clint both looked up from what they were doing, (work and food), with raised brows. " _Seriously_? You're really putting this much thought into it?" Clint laughed.

"No, hear me out, okay? There's a lot of things that could've given it away, not just the…." Anna paused to look up the excuse that he said it was that he figured out how something was wrong before going on… "that he was at the game.

"Her hair's all wrong. I mean, women in the '40's don't have their hair loose like that. It's a military hospital, she would've had her hair up and with one of those little white hat thingies…damn, what's it called?...Eh, can't remember, but I digress. Uh, let's see. Oh, her tie is wrong. That's a men's tie, not a woman's. It's too long and wide. Though, I give them credit for getting the Windsor knot.

"But yeah, there's a lot of things that he would've noticed. I mean, it's Captain America, of course he noticed!" Anna finished.

"They should've had you in charge of costume," Phil said. "Maybe then he would've believed it, and gotten adjusted slower."

"Doesn't really matter right now though," Clint said. "What's done is done."

"That's true," Anna said. "I'm just stoked I get to meet the guy! What do I wear? I mean, I gotta look professional, but it's a long drive to Fury's Cabin…"

"Aaaaand now she goes all girl on us," Clint laughed.

"I _am_ a girl, you dumbass," Anna scoffed. "And if it was anybody else, I wouldn't care, but this is Captain America!"

"Yeah, I have to agree with her on this one," Phil said. "If there's one person I'd want to impress, it'd be home."

"Of course you two would, you're geeks," Clint laughed. "The guy's your hero. Of course you'd fan over him."

"Oh, like you've never been a fan of something?"

"Nope," Barton answered. "I have my priorities straight."

"Oh, I have my priorities straight," Anna said. "Impression Captain Rogers just so happens to be really high up on that list. And I only have a couple days to prepare for it."

Anna started down at the old photo of Rogers before Project Rebirth. It looked like he was at an army training camp, dog tags hanging from his neck, dirt caking his skin and white shit. His eyes were narrowed, squinting because of the sun. He was so tiny and skinny, it was hard to believe it was the same man in the other photo with all of those rock hard looking muscles. But there was something so sweet about the photo. Something so inspiring to her.

Anna smiled, her fingers gently grazing over the surface of the image. "Welcome home, Captain."

* * *

 **Captain America. Yup, being a driver for our good ol' Cap is her first mission. It's not much of a mission, seeing as there isn't any danger in it, but obviously Anna doesn't care. She gets to meet a hero. One of her all time heroes! And without Phil...Poor man. Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter and look forward for what's to come.**

Thanks to the following individual(s) for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **WriterGirl1198**_ \- Maaaaaybe. I make no promises on the behavior of Tony Stark. That man is too unpredictable! But there will be a lot of fluff. So much fluff...and so much pain. lol

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ There's a lot of interactions like that in this story, and so much more to come. That's one of the reasons I really love this story so much.


	13. The Legend Himself

**Disclaimer: I don't know anything Marvel. I don't own Captain America, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Agents of SHIELD, etc. I just won Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 12  
The Legend Himself

Nervous was a drastic under exaggeration of what Anna was currently feeling. She wasn't as far as hysterical, nor was she apprehensive, frightened or anything along the lines of jumpy or skittish. She was a bit edgy, worried about the impression that she may give, or something stupid leaving her mouth, but she wasn't expecting anything to really jump out at her, nor would a single movement the man made would cause her to instinctively reach for her gun.

Perhaps solicitous would be the word to use.

Anna was driving through the streets in New York City on her way to pick up Captain Rogers from the apartment SHIELD was allowing him to lodge in until he got back on his feet. Her mission was a rather simple one: pick Captain Rogers up and deliver him to Fury's Cabin in upstate New York and then in a couple weeks, pick him back up and bring him back to NYC. Simple.

The task itself wasn't all that complex or difficult. Anna had been taught to drive since she was eleven and could reach the pedals and see over the top of the steering wheel. That wasn't her issue whatsoever.

Anna's issue was trying not to make a fool of herself in front of her childhood hero. Captain America. Thee Captain Steven Grant Rogers! How was she supposed to contain her excitement and seem professional when she had imagines elaborate daydreams of going on adventures with him and the rest of the Howling Commandos as a child? How could she contain the inner fangirl that was just so anxious to burst out of her chest? Better yet, how was she supposed to refrain from using the profanity that slipped out in her daily speech?

 _God, this is going to be such a disaster,_ Anna outwardly groaned, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. _I'm going to make a fool of myself and give Captain Rogers a bad impression of SHIELD._

Pulling up to the side of the road, luckily finding a space on her first try. The man was already standing outside waiting for her to get there. She glanced at the clock on the standard issue SHIELD SUV to make sure she wasn't. She definitely wasn't. She was fifteen minutes early, in fact. Either the man was impatient, anxious, or didn't really know what to do with himself so he was already prompt and ready to go.

The tall blond looked at the SUV with narrowed eyes, unsure if this was his ride. He was informed that an agent would pick him up, but they hadn't specified who exactly that would be, and her SHIELD car was unmarked. All it consisted of was tinted windows and black painted. So Anna rolled down the window and looked over at him with through her cheep knock off aviator sunglasses that she got from Chinatown and gave him a small, welcoming smile.

"Captain Rogers?" Anna called our just to make sure he knew she knew who he was.

"Yes Ma'am," he answered, nodding at her, though he couldn't see in very well from his angle and the glare from the sun.

Even though Rogers couldn't see in, didn't mean Anna couldn't see out. Rogers was taller than she imagined, though she already knew he was six feet tall with an added two inches to top that from his file. It was just different to see in person than picturing it from her head or the comics. His blond hair was combed to the side neatly, very much still down in the style he was used to. His eyes were squinting because of the light shining right into his blue eyes, making them glisten. It was kinda adorable how his features all scrunched up as he tried to look into the dark car.

He was wearing a button up gray shirt with a white tee-shirt under it, only visible where the top few buttons weren't fastened. The shirt didn't fit all too well, much to every woman's delight. His shirt clung to the muscles of his arms, chest, and back, showing just how ripped this hero was. The shirt was tucked into a pair of black pants, his back slung over one of his shoulders.

Anna knew she was going to have a hard time keeping her eyes on the road….

Clearing the lump forming in her throat, Anna ran a hand through her hair and shot out a suggestion to the older individual standing out on the sidewalk. "Just throw the stuff in the back seat."

"Yes, Ma'am," he repeated. He moved to the SUV, opening the back door to place the bag on the back passenger side seat. Once his task was complete, Rogers moved to the front of the car and opened the door, taking his seat easily and awkwardly seeing as he didn't know the woman that he would be stuck with for the next couple hours during the ride.

"Hello, Captain," Anna greeted, offering a hand to shake, while the other hand removed her sunglasses from her face. "I'm Agent Carr."

Once buckled in, Steve took her hand, his eyes finally meeting up with Anna's gray eyes. He froze their handshake mid-lift, his eyes widening, and his mouth gaping just slightly. He eyes narrowed slightly, indicating that he was a bit confused for some reason or another. Anna just assumed it was because of how young she was, and looked (because she looked younger than she was).

"Is everything alright, Captain?" Anna asked, withdrawing her hand. She placed them back on the steering wheel and hitting the blinker with her finger before pulling out into traffic.

"You're…." Rogers muttered, his eyes still glued to Anna's face.

"Really young? Yeah, I get that a lot," Anna muttered, trying to pay attention to the road more than her conversation with her hero. "I get that a lot, actually. I am young, honestly, but that doesn't make me any less of a great agent. I can assure you of that, Captain Rogers."

"But how….?" he asked unfinished, shaking his head.

"How? Well, there's an undercover program at SHIELD where they put families in the field with covers generally to get information and whatnot, you know, undercover stuff, and they use actual agents with families to do so. I mean, who would honestly believe some guy with a wife and two young children are spies? No agency would ever risk the lives of children, right?" Anna rambled, chuckling a little at the end of her spiel. "Yes, I'm young, but technically I'm almost legal, I'm seventeen. I am almost a full agent, I'm just kinda shadowing a senior field agent for a little while before I'm thrown in completely on my own."

"Seventeen?"

"Yes Sir," Anna answered lightly. "Born July 11, 1994."

Anna glanced at the man from her peripheral vision. Rogers was still staring at her, but Anna couldn't possibly believe that he was that shocked because of her age. There was something else in his eyes that indicated something else was bothering him about her entirely. What that was was completely beyond her though.

She hadn't been rude at all. Anna hadn't started swearing like a sailor yet. She was a bit talkative, much to her embarrassment, but she hadn't insulted him, SHIELD, or truly done anything to embarrass her or the agency she worked for, so why did Rogers look so pale?

"Are you, uh, okay, Captain?" Anna asked, glancing over at him.

"Uh, I….can I open the window? I think I need some air…" he muttered.

"Sure," Anna answered, opening it for him seeing as she knew for a fact he wouldn't know how to do so. "Do you get car sick or something?" Anna asked, though she was pretty sure that wasn't the case.

"N-No _An_ \- Uh, Agent Carr," he fumbled.

Anna fought the urge to narrow her eyes at the road. There was something really off about all of this. It wasn't the assignment, it wasn't really anything about Anna to her knowledge. So far, it was all about Captain Rogers and his pale face, fumbling of his words (though the file said he did that around women in general back in his time, but this wasn't the flustered, embarrassed type fumbling whatsoever), and his constant confused gaze.

"Can I….ask you something that may be a little absurd?" Rogers asked.

"Sure, ask me anything," Anna told him lightly. Her goal was to try and make him relax. She didn't want him to be freaked or uncomfortable around her. She was assigned this because Anna was one of the most approachable, likeable agents they had.

"You...There isn't time travel…..is there?" Rogers asked, his voice quiet.

Now that was heartbreaking to hear. Rogers wanted to go back home to live the life that he should've lived. Anna couldn't blame him for that. After all, the romance between him and Agent Carter was in the file multiple times. He loved her, and wanted the life he had envisioned with her back.

Something he couldn't have.

"Not that I'm aware," Anna answered softly. "I'm sorry, Captain. I wish I could tell you differently."

"We haven't….met before, have we?" he pressed.

"No, Sir," Anna answered. "I think I'd remember meeting one of my heroes."

The Captain's eyes widened, his mouth gaping just slightly, just like it had when he first looked at her. "I-I'm one of your….heroes?"

"Yes Sir," Anna admitted, nodding her head. I grew up reading the comics and watching the movies and listening to the old radio shows with my Uncle."

"The comics exaggerate," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, I know," Anna chuckled. "But at the heart of it, there was truth. There was the man with a heart and soul so good that he didn't know when to give up for standing up for what was right and protecting the people without the means to do so. Never giving up is what makes you one of my heroes, Captain. Not the exaggeration of the adventure in the comics.

"It's inspiring to me, because more often than not, the other agents don't like the fact that I'm around. They think I'm just a kid and I don't know what I'm doing. But I've been doing undercover work since I was born. I've been trained to follow my mission to the end, to fight and to be the best agent I can possibly be from day one. I'm good. Director Fury knows that. My Uncle knows it, so does my brother, but other people just can't accept it. But you're one of the reason's I never gave up on getting to the place where I deserve."

"I….didn't know that's what I gave people," Rogers muttered.

"Maybe not everybody, but that's the way I see it," Anna said. "So thank you, Captain, for not only your service and sacrifice, but for being a good person." Clearing her throat to try and change the subject to something much lighter, Anna said, "Wanna get tacos? I know it's breakfast time but, hell, it's _always_ a good time for tacos!"

* * *

Groaning tiredly, Anna walked into her and her brother's apartment with a large meat lover's pizza and a bottle of soda in hand. She kicked off her shoes on her way to the couch, leaving a trail almost. She dropped the box and bottle onto the coffee table before plopping extremely gracefully onto the couch, groaning once more.

She was stiff and tired and her eyes hurt from driving all the way up to Fury's cabin, and then all the way back home once she got Captain Rogers settled in. She almost felt sad for leaving the man there all alone. After all, Captain Rogers really was all alone now anyway, even if he was in a room full of people. Pretty much everybody Steve cared about was gone.

Anna didn't know what that was like, but there was no way it was pleasant and comforting. She just hoped that would never happen to her. Sighing for a third time since entering the apartment, Anna simultaneously grabbed the remote and turned the TV on while grabbing a slice of pizza from the box in front of her. Once the TV was on, Anna kicked up her feet, taking her phone out of her pockets seeing as the pressure on her hip was a bit uncomfortable with her tight pant suit pants.

The TV turned on to the last channel it had been on the last time Anna had watched it. And today, it just so happened that the Stark Expo Opening Ceremony was on. The natural brunette froze mid-chew, but then, once the shock and pang of pain passed over her heart, she resumed her action, taking in the events taking place on the television.

Anna had just tuned in the second Tony Stark landed on the stage in his Iron Man armor, the sixteen or so dancers skimpily dressed as Iron Women danced in front of fireworks. All the girl could do was roll her eyes. Of course he'd want sexy, half naked women, his suit, and explosives together in one place. The only thing that could make it all better would be booze, but she supposed it wouldn't be all that professional nor appropriate for him to drink and….fly…

Tony raised his arms out, and the spot he was standing on converted into the removal device she had often seen in action in his lab. He spun around so people could get a better look at how it operated, as well as just showing himself off in his nice fancy suit (the black armani one).

Anna was extremely relieved once the dancers left the stage. She was all for a good show and performance, but that was obviously heavily directed to the male audience and it definitely left much to be desired in the female department. She could've done with more fireworks, or maybe some male dancers, even, but heaven forbid Tony have male dancers behind him. It's ruin his playboy image.

" _Oh, it's good to be back!"_ Tony exclaimed, clapping for the girls as they left. " _Seriously...blow something up? I already did that…"_ Once the audience died down a bit, be continued, " _I'm not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me…"_

"Is that so? Why bring it up then?" Anna grumbled.

Okay, so yeah, maybe she missed Tony and she wanted to make things right, but that didn't necessarily mean she wasn't a bit bitter about it how he just threw her out without listening to her. Perhaps that was why she was talking back to the TV.

" _I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a better phoenix metaphor been personified in human history,"_ he went on.

"Yeah, you changed some, but you're still kind of a dick…" Anna said. "And still self centered as always…"

" _I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping iced tea because I haven't come across anyone who's man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day!"_

"Oh, honey, you're going to jinx yourself…"

" _Please! It's not about me,"_ he said, turning his head and waving it off, making Anna scoff and roll her gray eyes. " _It's not about you. It's not even about us. It's about legacy. It's about what we choose to leave behind for future generations and that's why for the next year, and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over pool their resources, share their collective vision to leave behind a brighter future. It's not about us!_

" _Therefore, what I am saying, if I'm saying anything, is welcome back to the Stark Expo!"_

Anna had seen the plans in prep for the Expo for almost every day while she was with Tony. Pepper often gave him updates on how contruction one certain things were going, or who had recently booked a presentation slot, even the map of the ground in Flushing Field in New York. Originally, she expected to be there, watching from the front row or just off the stage as she stayed undercover as Annie O'Connell, but now, seeing it on TV, was almost disappointing. It was cool and unbelievable, but seeing it on TV and imaging it in person for months were two completely different things.

What really got her was the fact that she originally thought she would be there to show her support for Tony. To show him that she was proud that he was trying to make a better future for her and everybody else. It was truly unbelievable how much time, effort and money he was putting into the expo. Unable to take anymore of her guilt, Anna turned the TV off and dropped the remote next to her.

It was almost a lightbulb moment the second the thought popped into her head. Anna grabbed her phone from the couch cushion next to her and went to her calendar, more specifically that week. _Just as I thought,_ Anna thought with a sigh. _Tony's birthday is this week_.

Now, most people, after having a falling out like they did, most likely would've tried to forget and move on with their lives. Anna, on the other had, had a very hard time letting it go. After all, she really did care for Tony. She had been her family for several month, that wasn't something she could just let go of in her head. Even if Tony could.

She at least wanted to show him that she was sorry and that she really cared. So, Anna got up off the couch and walked to her bedroom. Before she had left Anna had already purchased Tony's birthday present. She had a hard time trying to think of any gift to get the man that had everything, so the second the idea popped into her head, Anna instantly went online and bought it for him so she wouldn't forget.

She obviously never got the chance to give him her ingenious birthday present, but maybe if she sent it to him, she could hopefully start to pave the path to make amends in their broken relationship.

All a girl could do was hope.

* * *

 **And there we have it. Anna meets Steve for the first time...and of course, Anna's reaction to Tony's opening ceremony for the Stark Expo, which definitely gives you perspective on what time this part of the story takes place. A whole lot of shit is going to stark happening soon. I have one more slower chapter before things really, really start moving fast with all the movies before the Avengers, and then into Avengers itself.**

 **Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter and please leave a review to let me know what you thought! Thanks go to the following readers for their reviews on the previous chapter:**

 _ **WriterGirl1198**_ \- Well, Steve was definitely acting weird, and I'm really curious as to why you think that is because it's definitely isn't because of how young she is, though that is something he's not completely comfortable with. Let me know what you think!


	14. Slacking Off

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Agents of SHIELD, Avengers, Etc. Just Anna.**

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Chapter 13  
Slacking Off

It had been too late the night before to bring anything to the post office to mail, and even then, it was a Sunday so the building wasn't open to being with. Anna was left to bring the package, fully wrapped with the address scribbled on the top to go in on that next morning. Monday, bright and early, Anna dropped it off, paid, and left to go to work. She arrived later than she normally did, but still significantly early for most people. Anna, if anything, was almost always early if she could help it.

Her day wasn't very amusing whatsoever. She has several meetings scheduled, standing in for Phil because he was out on an assignment, and Anna's clearance level wasn't high enough for it so instead she was left at the office.

All morning, the biggest danger Anna was faced with was putting a stable through her finger and getting a papercut….both of which she did. Honestly, she swore she was the clumsiest person there was. She bled more than the Winchester brothers combined. She was a danger to not only herself, but every chair, table corner, wall, and door frame around her.

Though, there was one other danger that morning. The section of the office Anna and Phil's desks were located had dozens of other desks in the room. And, of course, the desks had agents seated behind them. Disgruntled about the fact that there was a non-Academy graduate, underage Agent with a clearance level as high as their own sitting in the same room as them. There was a lot of hostility directed towards Anna, especially when Coulson wasn't around to scare the other agents away.

Anna was bullied, though most of it was down, not necessarily to her face, but definitely said loud enough in the office for her to know who said it, and what they were saying.

"Nobody's around to babysit Baby Carr again, I see,"

Agent Darrick Victor, Special Ops graduate, was assigned the desk behind Anna's. He was a short, thin man with no hair, and cold brown eyes and overgrown eyebrows, nearing the making of a unibrow. He was a bitter, vulgar man that managed to kiss ass all the way up this level. He was one of those asshole guys that always talked about the shit he got up to that weekend and rating how hot girls were while in the locker room and gym and whatnot.

And Anna was his favorite target to shoot at recently.

His partner in crime was Leonard Halldor, the redhead that occupied the desk next to him. Halldor was just as bad as Victor, but he generally didn't start bashing Anna until Leonard did. He's shoot her dirty looks and bump into her shoulder on purpose while walking by her, but he didn't go out of his way until he was pressured into doing say by the instigator located next to him.

"How much you want to bet she's just here to find a husband right off the bat so she doesn't have to work for the rest of her life?" Victor went on.

"Maybe, but the only reason she got this job is because of Coulson and her brother. Fury just has to feel sorry for her because of how brutally her parents died," Halldor added, nodding his head.

Gritting her teeth, Anna just closed her folder and slid it into her bag. She had a meeting to get to anyway. Unfortunately, the two assholes behind her would be attending as well, but at least they wouldn't interrupt the meeting with their obnoxious myopic misogyny. She just had to keep reminding herself of something Phil would tell her whenever she'd vent about the comments from the men: "Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want. Go for it."

"Yeah, but she's the reason they died in the first place," Victor said.

"Yeah, I know. Really, I just think she's Coulson's glorified secretary," Halldor said.

"Nah, man, if she were a secretary, she'd be better dressed and would put in more effort into makeup and her hair, and looking nicer in general,"

Anna sighed and stood up from her desk, bag with her file in hand. I guess in this society, being male and an asshole makes you worthy of our time, she thought, walking passed them on her way to the meeting room, the men slowly following in behind her.

For the most part, it was a largely one-sided conversation that Anna happened to block out most of, even though there were several questions asked during meeting itself. It had something to do with changes in protocol that she had read over in a memo a couple weeks ago, but people still weren't listening to it so they needed a meeting to stress the issue. It wasn't an issue for her though, so Anna was a bit more preoccupied thinking about her other work. She, of course, did pay attention to the important parts, the parts the included, but not limited to 'reckless decisions,' 'unacceptable risk,' 'potential repercussions,' and 'suspension of privileges.'

After the meeting, Anna just felt even more drained than before. Office work was completely exhausting, and that was definitely saying something seeing as Anna was a trained field agent able to take down fully grown men three times her size. She supposed it was because it was all too repetitive and boring for her. She needed to be out in the world using her skills and keeping sharp, not sharpening pencils….

So when her phone dinged, indicating she had a text alert, Anna instantly went for her cell. She picked it up, and read the text alert on Tony. She had her phone programed to inform her of whenever there was something in the media about Tony, before she even got kicked out. It was pretty much to just keep tabs on the man really. She wanted to make sure he didn't get into too much trouble, and if he did, try and help in any way she could without letting him know she had contributed at all.

Apparently, Tony was in Washington, DC at the Senate hearing Anna had no clue was going on. So she instantly went on her computer to bring it up online to watch. She plugged in her headphones to drown out the noise around her so she could just focus on the news, instead of the idiots behind her.

Anna sat back, her elbows on the arms of her swivel chair, one hand brought up to her chin to support herself as she gave her undivided attention to the C-Span coverage of the Senate Armed Services Committee of the Weaponize Suit Defense Program Hearing.

" _Mr. Stark, can we pick up now where we left off?" Instead of listening to Senator Stern, a man with lips and cheek bones that were far too big for his face, indicating that he most likely had work done, Tony had his back turned to the Senate panel, talking to Pepper, two or so rows behind him. She told him to turn around several times before he finally did. "Mr. Stark, please."_

" _Yes dear?" Tony said, turning back around._

" _Can I have your attention?"_

" _Absolutely," Tony answered._

" _Do you, or do you not, possess a specialized weapon?" Stern asked._

" _I do no," Tony answered._

" _You do not?"_

" _I do not, well, depends on how you define the word 'weapon.'"_

" _The Iron Man weapon," Stern clarified, or tried to, at least._

" _My device does not fit that description," Tony corrected._

" _How would you describe it?"_

" _I would describe it by defining it by what it is, Senator," Tony pressed._

" _As…" Stern said, waiting for Tony to go on._

" _As a...Mm, a high tech prosthesis," Tony said, though is face and tone didn't actually look joking this time around. The audience behind im laughed, but Tony didn't. He tried to defend his statement instead. "That is...that is...that's actually the most apt description I could make of it."_

" _It's a weapon. It's a weapon, Mr. Stark," Stern pressed. "I hate to inform you-"_

" _Please, if your priority was actually the well-being of the American citizen-"_

Taking her hair out of the bun on her head because of the headache forming at the back of her head, she shook it in an attempt to make it feel better. _God, I hate it when people interrupt one another on TV. It's why I never watch political debates_ , Anna thought.

" _My priority is to get the Iron Man weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America," Stern interrupted._

" _Well, you can forget it. I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you're in. You can't have it."_

" _Look, I'm no expert-"_

" _In prostitution? Of course not. You're a senator. Come on!" Tony said sarcastically, causing the people behind him to laugh once more._

At least someone was finding this amusing. Anna, on the other hand, wished Tony would take this more seriously. They could actually take away his suits, and who knows what could happen if that did actually come to fruition.

" I'm no expert in weapons. We have somebody here who is an expert on weapons. I'd now like to call Justin Hammer, our current primary weapons contractor."

"Let the record reflect that I observed Mr Hammer entering the chamber, and I am wondering if and when any actual expert will also be in attendance," Tony said.

Anna didn't know all that much about Justin Hammer. She knew he was the CEO of Hammer Industries, the DoD's primary systems contractor, and that only happened after Tony and Stark Industries stopped manufacturing and distributing weapons to the U.S. Government, as well as everybody else. But other than that, Anna would just have to trust Tony when he said Hammer wasn't exactly great, though, she supposed, everybody failed in comparison when it came to Tony and his brains and inventions in weaponry.

Hammer walked in, thick glasses covering his eyes. He was a scrawny fellow, very much what one may picture a nerd to be, though Anna honestly found that a bit insulting to herself, seeing as she was a geek, though nerd and geek weren't necessarily synonymous.

" _Absolutely. I'm no expert. I defer to you, Anthony. You're the wonder boy. Senator, if I may. I may well not be an expert, but you know who was_ the _expert? Your dad. Howard Stark. Really a father to us all, and to the military-industrial age. Let's just be clear, he was no flower child. He was a lion. We all know why we're here. In the last six months, Anthony Stark has created a sword with untold possibilities. And yet, he insists it's a shield. He asks us to trust him as we cower behind it. I wish I were comforted, Anthony, I really do. I'd love to leave my door unlocked when I leave the house, but this ain't Canada. You know, we live in a world of grave threats, threats that Mr Stark will not always be able to foresee. Thank you. God bless Iron Man. God bless America."_

"What a ham," Anna muttered, leaning closer to the screen as she watched Justin Hammer move to take a seat. _He's just full of shit, that's for sure._

"That is well said Mr Hammer. The committee would now like to invite Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber."

"Oh no," Anna muttered, running a hand through her long hair nervously. T _hey can't use Rhody against Tony. That's not fair. Isn't that like, a conflicting in interest or something?_ It just didn't seem right to her to use the man's best friend against him.

" _Rhodey? What?" Rhodey entered the room, and Tony got up to greet him, shaking his hand. "Hey, buddy. I didn't expect to see you here."_

" _Look, it's me, I'm here. Deal with it. Let's move on," Rhodey said._

" _I just-"_

" _Drop it," Rhodey insisted._

" _All right, I'll drop it."_

" _I have before me a complete report on the Iron Man weapon, complied by Colonel Rhodes. And, Colonel, for the record, can you please read page 57, paragraph four?"_

" _You're requesting that I read specific selections from my report, Senator?" Rhody asked._

" _Yes, sir."_

" _It was my understanding that I was going to be testifying in a much more comprehensive and detailed manner."  
_  
Anna leaned back in her chair again, tapping her fingers on the armrest. _At least Rhodey is trying to correct this fucktard, she thought, glaring at the ugly man on screen._

" _I understand. A lot of things have changed today. So if you could just read…"_

" _You do understand that reading a single paragraph out of context does not reflect the summery of my final…"_

" _Just read it, Colonel. I do. Thank you."_

Rhodey seemed so reluctant, but he went on. He couldn't just not do as he was told. "Very well. "As he does not operate within any definable branch of government, Iron Man presents a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to her interests." I did however, go on to summarise that the benefits of Iron Man far outweigh the liabilities and that it would be in our interest…"

" _That's enough, Colonel," Stern said._

" … _to fold Mr Stark…"_

Stern pressed, "That's enough."

But Rhodey just kept going until he was finished. " …into the existing chain of command, Senator."

" _I'm not a joiner, but I'll consider Secretary of Defence, if you ask nice," Tony's aid, listening the mood from the bickering between the Senator and the Colonel. People really seemed to be enjoying Tony's outbursts, as the crowd laughed. "We can amend the hours a little bit."_

" _I'd like to go on and show, if I may, the imagery that's connected to your report," Stern said, ignoring Tony completely._

" _I believe it is somewhat premature to reveal these images to the general public at this time," Rhodey protested._

" _With all due respect, Colonel, I understand. And if you could just narrate those for us, we'd be very grateful. Let's have the images," Stern said, still not listening._

" _Intelligence suggests that the devices seen in these photos are, in fact, attempts at making manned copies of Mr Stark's suit," Rhodey explained. "This has been corroborated by our allies and local intelligence on the ground indicating that these suits are quite possibly, at this moment, operational."_

" _Hold on a second buddy. Let me see something here," Tony interrupted. He held up his phone, and just like that, took control of the television screen. "Boy, I'm good. I commandeered your screens. I need them. Time for a little transparency. Now, let's see what's really going on."_

" _What is he doing?" Stern asked._

" _If you will direct your attention to said screens, I believe that's North Korea." There was a Video of a suit falling over, shooting without control._

" _Can you turn that off? Take it off," Stern ordered. Hammer got up and started to make his way to the TV, doing just as Stern said. Or at least trying to._

" _Iran," Tony said. Much like the last, it was an unoperational suit. "No grave threat here. Is that Justin Hammer? How did Hammer get in the game? Justin, you're on TV. Focus up." And just like the other videos, the suit didn't work. "Wow. Yeah, I'd say most countries, five, ten years away. Hammer Industries, twenty."_

" _I'd like to point out that that test pilot survived," Hammer said._

" _I think we're done is the point that he's making. I don't think there's any reason-"_

" _The point is, you're welcome, I guess," Tony said._

" _For what?" Stern asked.  
_  
" _Because I'm your nuclear deterrent. It's working. We're safe. America is secure. You want my property? You can't have it. But I did you a big favour." Tony stood up and turned towards the people behind him, as well as the cameras. "I've successfully privatized world peace." He held up his hands and did his signature peace sign before everybody. The crowd stood up, clapping, though Anna honestly didn't think there was reason to._ _"What more do you want? For now! I tried to play ball with these ass-clowns."_

" _[beep] you, Mr Stark. [beep] you, buddy. We're adjourned. We're adjourned for today," Stern said._

" _Okay," Tony said, putting his sunglasses on to leave._

" _You've been a delight," Stern said, sarcastically._

" _My bond is with the people. And I will serve this great nation at the pleasure of myself. If there's one thing I've proven, it's that you can count on me to pleasure myself."_

All Anna could do was sigh heavily. That was definitely unnecessary and disgusting. She didn't need to hear that, nor did she want to. Plus, the whole hearing was a disaster. Tony was really annoying her, that was for sure. He needed to take things more seriously. That hearing was a joke. The issue was legitimate, but Tony turned the whole thing into a circus.

Tony was off the rails, and she honestly didn't know how or if he could be put back on track.

* * *

After another long day at the office that very next day, Anna went home and made herself some dinner. That seemed to be her routine as of late. Go to the office, go home, make dinner, do more work at home, then go to bed. Anna hated routine. Routine was boring and dangerous.

So the woman made herself spaghetti and meatballs, something that didn't take all the much time and effort seeing as she normally had homemade meatballs frozen in the freezer ahead of time, and sat down on the floor in front of the couch, her dinner on her lap and the files and paperwork on the coffee table in front of her.  
The TV was playing on the screen, but the volume was muted. It wasn't until she got another text alert about Tony that she looked up to see that he was attacked while driving his race car in Monaco.

"Oh my God," Anna gaped, her heart sinking to her feet, instantly grabbing her phone to call Phil.

" _What is it, Anna?"_ Phil asked.

"Why the hell didn't anybody tell me Tony was attacked?" Anna demanded.

" _Because Agent Romanoff is taking care of it,"_ Phil answered. " _It's not your job to worry about him anymore, Anna."_

"The hell it isn't!" Anna shot back. "He was almost killed! What the hell is he doing? First the Senate hearing, now this? Why was he driving in the first place, and who was that guy anyway?"

" _Anna, it's not your case, let Natasha deal with it,"_ Phil told her. " _Let her do her job."  
_  
Anna, deep down, knew Phil was right. Natasha was fully capable of handling the situation and doing her job, but none of this made her feel any better. Tony could've been killed. And from the looks of the news-feed, Pepper and Happy could've too.

"Fine," Anna huffed. "Just….if anything else happens….can you just let me know?" she asked.

" _I make no promises, Anna, but…_ " Phil muttered, going silent for a good couple of minutes. " _We'll see, okay?"  
_  
"Yeah, okay," she grumbled.

" _I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"_ Phil told her.

"Okay, see you then," she said. "Love you, Uncle Phil."

" _You too, Anna,"_ he told her.

* * *

 **And so Iron Man 2 starts. It's only on TV now, but I promise next chapter will be different. There will actually be move interaction in the next one, at least in some capacity. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I wasn't completely happy about it, but it is what it is. Also, I've got a whole lot of the chapter for this story prewritten, which is good for you guys because it means you'll get at least one a week definitely. No questions about it. Generally on the same say each week unless I get super busy and stressed from school, but there will always be an update a week. I'm working on Chapter 24 right now.**

 **Thanks go to the following people for their reviews on the previous chapter:**

 _ **WriterGirl1198**_ \- Maybe...maybe not...Not telling. lol. But I will tell you this: Anna's parents weren't the only one's involves with SHIELD/SSR. So were her grandparents. It's kinda the family business.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ The gift won't actually pop up again until one of two time: Around Avengers, or Captain America: Winter Soldier. I've always planned on having it in CAWS, so I'll most likely do that, but Ive been debating with with what I have planned for Avengers. But chances are you're going to have to wait until CAWS. I promise you though, that there actually is a reason for not putting it in, and that there is a real present in it. It's not me just putting it off because I couldn't figure out what to get him or anything. Oh, and I'm sorry about the whole Anna physical appearance thing. Her appearance changes whenever she's undercover so it can be confusing, but Anna has natural brown hair, and light blue-gray eyes. That's really the jist. She just dyes her hair and wears contacts whens he goes undercover, like with Tony she had black hair, and when she was in Russia (which will come up again) she had blonde hair.

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- That's okay! I'm just glad you're doing it now, and got a chance to catch up! Tony's head will be well up his ass for a while, because hell, Tony's Tony. But eventually he'll come around. He normally does.

 _ **gamerchi**_ \- That's okay! It'll all be revealed in due time. And no prob. If you ever need me to clarify what is taking place when, please, feel free to ask. Sometimes it can be really confusing with marvel timelines and whatnot.


	15. Back to Malibu

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 14  
Back to Malibu

The workday went fairly normal. There was far less harassment from the two male agents residing behind her because Phil was there, and nobody dared to mess with the Agent's agent. It was far more interesting to have someone to talk to while working, that was for sure.

Fairly normal also meant rather dull and uneventful as well. Despite Phil's presences and company, the day was still routine, and as stated before, routine was detested now that it wasn't in Stark Manor. It seemed that any bit of normalcy Anna lost after what happened that afternoon when Tony kicked her out completely and utterly she now found she couldn't get back, nor wanted it. Losing it gave her a distaste for any other form of it, it seemed.

So, when Anna was brushing her teeth before bed, still in her work clothes, and she heard the door of the apartment open, she knew it had to be one of two people: her brother, Carson, and Phil. And seeing as she hadn't seen or heard from Clark in well over six months due to deep cover, the likelihood of it being Phil was far greater.

After spitting into the sink and rinsing her mouth, Anna exited the bathroom and met Phil in her room. The man was grabbing Anna's Go Bag, as well as her other important things for a mission, like her gun and wallet and so on.

"What's going on?" Anna asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There was another incident with Mr. Stark," Tony said, picking up her bag. "Grab your toiletries. We're heading out in an hour."

Anna's stomach dropped down to street level from the apartment. "Is he okay? What happened?" she asked, slightly panicked.

"He's fine, but he's out of control. Colonel Rhodes has one of his suits after trying to get him under control at his birthday party last night. Then he disappeared. Director Fury and Agent Romanoff confronted him and have him on lockdown at his home currently. He's on lockdown until he figures out how to fix his blood poisoning."

"Okay, okay," Anna muttered, her head a million miles away as she rushed into the bathroom to grab her separate to go bag she always kept packed. "So are we going out to help him with research or something? To make sure he's healthy and safe?" Anna asked, leaving the bathroom to put her shoes on.

"No," Phil said, opening the door for her once she made it there.

"What are we doing then?" she questioned.

"Babysitting."

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning the next morning that Anna and Phil landed and started to head to Stark's Manor in Malibu. They spent all night un the air, debriefing on the way. It was a night filled with no sleep whatsoever. Not just because of the amount of work they had to cover, but because of Anna's worry for Tony and his well being.

"I completely understand why Director Fury would send Nat in, but why the hell would he bring me in with you to go see _him_? He hates my guts! We _all_ know that. He'll try and disobey, go out of his way _just_ to make more trouble for me. You and I both know that's how he works."

Anna was sitting in the passenger seat with her feet up on the dashboard, her arm hanging out the window making wave with her arm as the air rushed by her. Her hair was pulled back in a temporary messy bun so it wouldn't whip into her eyes from the air getting pulled into the car.

"Get your feet off the dash," Phil ordered her.

The only sign of acknowledgement that was given at his words was the removal of her feet. They dropped to the floor before being crossed more comfortably over one another. "Do you know why he told you to bring me?" Anna pressed, not dropping the subject. "I mean, it's babysitting. You don't need me for that. You're great at it!"

Phil just glanced over at her, giving her an odd look at that last statement. "Sorry, that didn't come out right," Anna corrected herself. "Makes it sound like you babysit me."

"I do babysit you," Phil chuckled.

"You do not!" Anna protested, playfully hitting his arm.

"Hey, no hitting the driver!" Phil scolded lightheartedly.

Their playful banter always made Anna feel better. She wasn't completely relaxed, as the issue was still in place, but being there with Phil always made her feel better. But this subject wasn't something Anna could just drop. It had been on her mind ever since she had gotten compromised. She had to get it out and talk about it, and Coulson was the best person for that. "Okay, so what are the chances he'll forgive me? Give me a number," Anna told him.

"Uh, twelve percent," Phil said.

"Only twelve? Really?" Anna groaned, slouching in her seat.

"What do you expect me to say, Anna?" Phil asked. "The guy's hurt."

"Hey, I did what I went there to do. I gathered intel. _Good_ intel. I did a good job. Fury even said so, and a begrudged Hill. And you told me too! It was good undercover work! I mean, it got me out of having to go to the Academy and high school. We all know I already know all of the stuff they teach there. And I'm learning far more from you than in high school."

"I sense a 'but' coming," Phil interrupted.

The brunette had to stop and think about how to phrase what was on her mind, and what she was feeling. She was never too good with talking about what she was feeling, let alone describing it. "Is there a word for the moment when you win a game of tug-of-war?" Anna asked.

"I don't follow," the older man said, glancing over at her from the driver's side seat before returning his gaze to the road so they wouldn't crash and explode into a million little charred pieces.

"You know, when the weight gives and all that extra rope comes hurtling towards you. You're stomach feels like to drops to your feet and you fall even though you've won. How even though you've won, you still end up all muddy, with scraped knees and burns on your hands. Is there a word for that feeling?"

Their black car turned to go down the road leading to Tony's place on the Malibu cliff. It was a drive she had taken so many times with Happy that she memorized every tree, every flower planted alongside the road. And even though it had been several weeks since she had last been up that stretch of concrete, Anna still remembered every little detail vividly.

"You got attached," Phil told her. "You really started to like being there. You cared about him and when he found out, he was hurt. Tony's an ass, but he's a good person. In his own way. You hurt him, and in turn, you hurt yourself. And you're beating yourself up because you feel guilty."

She knew he was right. She just didn't like to admit she did something wrong. She could admit it when she was at fault, but this seemed so different. Anna had gotten attached, and that was one of the number one rules of undercover work. Make connections, but don't get emotionally attached. And for as many years as she had been alive, the only people she had gotten really attached to were those in her family, and her extended family of Phil and a handful of other agents. But that was it. For the most part, Anna could count the people she truly trusted on one hand.

"I've been swimming with sharks for most of my life. And I've never been affected by any of them before. Why now?" Anna thought out loud. She didn't realize she had verbally stated what was on her mind until Phil put in his two cents.

"Because Mr. Stark isn't a shark, Anna," Phil said. "You hurt a good person. Not a mob boss. Not a murderer, or a psychopath. You hurt a good person that you actually like. That's why."

The two pulled up to the house, parking right in front. Anna and Coulson just sat there looking at the house for several minutes, while the agents in the car behind them got out and made their way to the main entrance of the house. Anna sighed, almost dreading having to go in there to see Tony once more. She knew there was not going to be a warm welcome for her.

"You got this?" Coulson asked her, placing a hand on her arm.

"Yeah," Anna muttered, nodding her head ever so slightly. Her actions didn't back up her words though. Anna made no move to reach for the handle.

"You sure?" Coulson pressed.

"Yes, thanks _Dad_ ," Anna grumbled, finally opening the door to get out.

Anna lead Phil to the house. Once inside, Anna found no trace of Tony in the immediate area. She waited another moment to make sure he didn't come up from the lab, or in from another room before she spoke. "Hello JARVIS ," Anna greeted.

"Good afternoon, Agent Carr," JARVIS greeted back.

Anna smiled softly. She could always leave it to JARVIS to brighten her day. The AI was unbelievably friendly and polite, with a twist of sarcasm acquired, no doubt, from years of having to work with Tony. With, not for.

"Come on, Director Fury should be downstairs with Mr. Stark," Coulson told her, leading her downstairs to the downstairs living room.

"Are you that guy?" Fury asked. "Hm? Are you? 'Cause if you are, then you can solve the riddle of your heart."

 _Leave it to Fury to be elusive poetic,_ Anna thought as she walked in with Coulson and the two other accompanying agents with the package: the large metal container for Stark.

"I don't know where you're getting your information," Tony admitted. "But, uh, he wasn't my biggest fan."

"What do you remember about your father, huh?" Fury asked.

"He was cold, he was calculating. He ever told me he loved me. He never even told me he liked me," Tony answered. "So it's a little tough for me to digest when you're telling me he said the whole future was riding on me and he's passing it down. I don't get that. Were talking about a guy who's happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding school."

"That's not true," Fury protested.

"Well, then clearly you knew my father better than I did," Tony said.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Fury said. "He was one of the founding members of SHIELD."

"What?" Tony asked, sitting up in curiosity and shock.

"I got a two o'clock," Fury said, standing up from his seat.

"Wait, wait," Tony pressed. "What's this?"

"Kay, you're good, right?"

"No, not good," Tony corrected.

"You got this, right?"

"Got what? I don't even know what I'm supposed to get!"

"Yeah, Natasha will remain a floater at Stark with her cover in tact," Fury said, putting his jacket back on. "And you remember Agents Coulson and Carr, right?"

"Yep," Tony grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, and Tony? Remember, I got my eye on you," Fury pressed one last time before leaving.

"We've disabled all communications. No contact with the outside world," Natasha told Tony. "Good luck." She turned to leave, nodding and smiling with a small greeting of, "Coulson, Anna," to her two fellow agents before departing.

Tony watched her go before turning back to the agents she had just addressed. "Please, first thing I need is a little body work. I'll put in a little time at the lab. If we could send one of your goons squad to, uh, down to the Coffee Bean, Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run, or something, that'd be great," Tony said. "Little Miss SHIELD knows how to do it, she's done it enough times. Have her do it."

"I'm not here for that. And neither is she. We've been authorized by Director Fury to use any means necessary to keep you on premises. If you attempt to leave or play any games, I will tase you and watch _Supernanny_ while you drool into the carpet, okay?" Phil threatened.

"I think I got it, yeah," Tony said.

"Enjoy your evening's entertainment," Coulson said, nodding for Anna to follow behind to leave ton with the box to work.

* * *

After several hours working upstairs and letting Tony work, Anna made some coffee and brought some down to Tony. She knew exactly how he took it, and he always drank it when she made it before, so it was worth a shot to give him some now, after he started working. Caffeine was one of the main things that kept him going.

The lab was a mess, set up with massive metal cylinders going around the room.

"Elaborate set up you've got here," Anna pointed out, setting the mug on the desk.

There was no answer as Tony worked with the biggest wrench she'd ever seen.

"You uh, think you've got it figured out then?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she moved a little closer to see what he was doing. Again, there was no answer. "Okay then." she mumbled awkwardly. "Did you, uh, get the birthday present I sent you?"

"Yup," he answered, not really paying all too much attention to the girl, but at least he finally answered her.

 _Huh, I would've thought Pepper would've thrown it out before he knew about it,_ Anna thought, obviously knowing that Pepper wasn't even happy with her. And even then, she was surprised Tony didn't throw it away. "Did you like it?" she questioned further.

"Didn't open it," he informed her.

Anna simply sighed. _Of course he didn't,_ she thought rubbing the back of her neck. "I deserve that," she muttered, turning away from Tony as she looked through the gaping hole in the wall to the fantastic view she used to wake up to in the morning.

"That saying, "Not a perfect soldier, but a good man?" You ever hear that before?" Tony asked, looking up from the box on the floor.

"Yeah," Anna answered, wondering where he was going with that.

"Well, you're neither," he told her. "So yeah, you do deserve it. And a whole lot more."

That was an even worse blow to the chest than the birthday present comment.

"You know what I learned from you?" Tony said, turning fully to Anna now. "That you should never let anybody close to you. Because people are bad, and they use you for their own selfish motives. That's what you do, don't you? You get close to people, manipulate them, extort what you can without getting close because, oh yeah, that's right, you don't have feelings or a heart. That's the only way you can do your job, isn't it? Because you're not a real person? You have no soul, or feelings, or sense of guilt for ruining the lives of other people!"

"That's not-"

"Enough!"

Anna spun on her heel to see Phil standing at the door. Neither of them even heard him enter. Phil's face was stoic, showing nothing of what he was truly thinking and Anna knew him well enough to know to be scared when he looked like that. He stalked over to stand next to Anna and without looking at the brunette, said, "Go upstairs. You have paperwork you need to fill out for tonight."

"But-"

"That's an order, Agent Carr," Phil pressed.

Anna sighed and nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Yes, Sir," she mumbled before turning and heading to the stairs. She made it to the stairs when she heard Coulson finally addressing Tony. She couldn't help but stop and listen to his words.

"You're really mad at her, and she tricked you. I get that. But I think you miss her. Anna's a hard person to get over. You're this upset because the two of you are so much alike. More than you know. You were both orphaned in your teens. Left alone for the most part. She has a brother, and she has me, but that's about it. Really, she's grown up alone. You had Stane, and that was about it. You were tortured. She was tortured."

"Tortured? What are you talking about?" Tony scoffed. "She's a kid, for Pete's sake. There's no way-"

"Oh, didn't know that, did you? Unfortunately for you, that's classified and I can't talk abou it. So before you really go off on her, just remember how much you two are alike. Because for how much you're feeling bad, Anna feels ten times worse because she was the one to do that. She's not a bad person, Mr. Stark. Neither are you. And that makes it so much worse for her.

"So maybe you should stop feeling sorry for yourself and try and see things from her side. Because she see's it from you're and she's tried more times that you even know to try and help you feel better. She cares about you. And I know you still care about.

"But let me make myself clear, if you ever, ever threaten my niece again, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life. I promise you that."

* * *

 **So, there was some drama and yelling and not so happy feels. But everything is really starting to move and I'm so excited! I've actually just finished writing the Avengers for this story, so I'm super excited to get to all this stuff so I can get to the real reason there's all this back story stuff. I guess you can say this Phase 1 stuff is kinda the prequel for Anna's real story. But I'm getting ahead of myself.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and please don't forget to leave a review!**

 **Thanks go to the following people for their reviews:  
**  
 ** _Jedi Jelsa777-_** I know! It's amazing, isn't it? You'll most likely forget about the present until it comes back up again, to be honest. Yeah, Anna doesn't always like to confront things, that's why she's such a good undercover agent. She doesn't like attention, or things that cause her to get it. That's why she ignores things. She may vent about them to others, but she's not going to cause a scene.

 _ **Fangirling007**_ -I'm so glad you liked it!


	16. Goodbye, Hello!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Iron Man 2, Thor, Agents of SHIELD, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 15  
Goodbye, Hello!

Anna had no idea what she was looking at. Anna was smart. She could think of her feet in a deadly situation. She could tell you very detailed timelines in history, because, after all, she was a complete history buff. She could give you details of the Ottoman Empire, The Emu war of 1932, and so on. She could hit her mark from five hundred feet away with a sniper rifle in horrible conditions instinctively thought needing to actually do the math in her head. But Anna was not good with math and science, proven by Tony's tutoring Annie everyday.

So when she stared down at the tablet in her lab and tried to understand the massive spiked on the chart of something she didn't even know what was called, she was a bit lost. All she knew was that it was big, and generally when things were big in their line of work, it meant they were dangerous.

"We don't know what it is," Phil told her, leading her downstairs to Tony's lab.

"Wait, so this is an 0-8-4?" Anna asked.

"Yup," Phil answered.

"Like, a serious 0-8-4? I've never had one of those before!" Anna exclaimed in excitement.

An 0-8-4 didn't exactly tell anybody much. Really, specifically, it meant the item, person, or thing of unknown origin. So really, the code just meant they really didn't know what was going on and desperately needed to check it out and prevent others from getting to it, or there.

"I know," he said, a small smirk on his lips that he tried to hide.

Anna's excitement was refreshing, to be honest. After being an agent for thirty years, he saw a lot of jaded people, many of which he had to deal with, and work with, on a daily basis. Anna had a new, young, exhilarating air about her when it came to pretty much anything. Most new agents were like that until they really got a taste for how horrible the job could be. Anna, by the age of fifteen, already knew how horrible and dangerous the job was. And yet, there she was, still with a skip in her step when it came to her work. It made Phil excited to work too.

"First, we just have to tell Tony we're leaving and then we can head to the airfield," Phil told her.

Anna sighed. She had rather been hoping to avoid going down to see Tony again. After all, she managed to do it for the last several hours, even after they had found out he broke protocol and left the house while they were debriefing about the 0-8-4 in New Mexico.

"You can stay in here, if you'd like," Phil offered, referring to the glass box were the stairs landed in front of the paneled doors into the lab.

"That's probably best," Anna admitted.

Phil walked in and the moment the door shut, he started to talk to Tony. She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but she supposed she didn't really care. She cared about Tony, and she'd still go out of her way to try and make things right by doing things for him without him knowing, but if he didn't want her around, she wasn't going to stick around. She knew that now.

A couple minutes later, after Phil shoot Tony's hand, Phil walked out and met back up with the girl. He headed up the stairs first, Anna's eyes looking through the glass at Tony, who seemed to be looking right back at her with emotionless brown eyes. She sighed and nodded to him, giving him her farewell before heading up the stairs.

There was only so much one girl could do.

* * *

"You think we can stop and get something to eat soon?" Anna asked, bobbing her head to the old jazzy swing music playing over the radio. She had the window down, her around out making wave motioned as the car sped down the road. "Not something big, but you know, a snack to hold us over until we get there?"

"Sure," Phil said. "I've gotta get gas anyway. I'll grab us something at the next stop."

"Cool," Anna answered.

It was about another twenty or so minutes before they came by the first gas station in what seemed like sixty miles, but at least they made it. Anna offered to pump the gas for Phil while he went into pay for it, as well as the snacks. Truth be told, Anna was just so tired that she was just too lazy to walk that far into the store. It had been about two days since she last slept, after all.

"Hey, grab me a kitkat bar and a pepsi, would you?" Anna asked, calling after Phil as he walked towards the gas station.

He just waved over his shoulder to her to let her know her request had been heard before entering. A couple minutes later, another car zoomed in and two guys with shotguns ran in. Anna just stared, standing between the car and the pump so they couldn't see her. They were just two ordinary robbers, after all. Phil could take care of them in his sleep. There wasn't anything to worry about.

And, just as expected, Phil walked out a couple minutes later with the treats in hand, the woman working behind the counter staring at him as he walked to the car. Anna put the nozzle back in the pump and turned to Phil eyebrow raised. "Have fun?" she questioned with a smirk.

"Shut up," Phil muttered, tossing Anna her goods before the teen moved to go to the other side of the car.

"You were totally pretending to be Captain America, weren't you!" Anna accused, sliding in and buckling her seatbelt.

"No, I'm not nearly on that level," he said, starting the car back up, placing the two packages of donuts he bought into the cup holder in the middle of the consol.

"A Howling Commando then," Anna pressed.

"...Yes…"

Anna just cracked up laughing. "I totally knew it!"

* * *

Anna was in control of the GPS and giving Phil directions to the site of the energy signature. Until then though, Anna was just chatting away with Phil about her meeting with Captain Rogers, seeing as she hadn't gotten the chance to do so yet.

"He was really polite," Anna said.

"Of course he was, he's Captain America," Phil told her.

"The poor thing asked me if time travel was real," she added. "Take a left off the road and head that way."

"Of course he asked, the guy wants to go home," Phil said.

"I know, I can't blame him either. I mean, the culture shock alone has to be incredibly difficult. Add in how lonely he must be and…."

"That's why Fury sent you," Phil said. "You always have a habit of relaxing people. You're approachable."

"I'm not exactly sure he found me that way," Anna admitted. "He was acting a little weird."

"It's probably just because of your age," he said.

"I don't know. I mean, you think a guy from WWII would be used to having younger people fight around him. I mean, look at all the people that lied about their age to go over and fight," she pointed out.

"He's probably just trying to get used to everything. Give him a break," Phil said.

"I'm not saying anything bad about it," she said. "I just thought it was a little odd. We should be coming up on the site."

Phil pulled the SUV over and both of them got out. Standing before the car, their eyes landed on the large crater, residence from the closest town, Puente Antiguo surrounding it with their trucks and lawn chairs, having a good ol' time trying to the the 0-8-4 out of the ground, much like trying to pull Excalibur out of the stone. That, and it was a fun excuse to hang out with everybody and drink.

Phil pulled out his phone and placed it to his ear. "Sir, we found it. We're going to need reinforcements to get an evacuation of the area and to seal off the site…..Of course, Sir." Phil hung up the phone and turned to Anna. "And now the real work begins."

* * *

As the site was evacuated and the temporary facility set up around the 0-8-4 set up, Phil came to Anna to inform her that they believed there was a scientist that had been on their watch list for some time now that had gathered a substantial amount of research and information pertaining to the events surrounding the 0-8-4, or the hammer, it seemed.

And, of course, that information couldn't possibly get out to the public. It was too risky. So, several vans and SUVs headed into Puente Antiguo to the research facility that was set up for this Dr. Jane Foster, an astrophysicist.

Anna was picking up a box when her attention was diverted to three individuals storming into the large, round, open building that was the oddest research facility Anna had ever been to or laid eyes on. Then again, the only facilities she had ever been in were SHIELD regulated, or secret ones in really dark basements, and the likes, so she supposed poorly funded researchers had to make do with what they could get.

"What the hell is going on here?" the blonde woman demanded, storming into the facility.

"Ms. Foster, I'm Agent Coulson with SHIELD," Coulson introduced.

Anna walked up to Phil and whispered," It's Dr. Foster, Coulson. Don't insult the woman," before she walked on to the back of the building to put the box into the back of the van.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" she demanded. "You can't do this!"

"Jane," the man behind her scolded her. "Jane, this is a lot more serious then you realize. Let it go."

"Let it go? This is my life!" Dr. Foster exclaimed.

"We're investigating a security threat," Phil said. "We need to appropriate your records and all you atmospheric date."

"By "appropriate" do you mean steal?" she accused.

"Here," Phil said, pulling the SHIELD issued check from his breast pocket of his jacket and handing it to the woman. "This should more than compensate you for your trouble."

"I can't just buy replacements at Radioshack, I made most of this equipment myself!" she told him.

"Then I'm sure you can do it again," Phil assumed.

"And I'm sure I can sue you for violating my constitutional rights," she tacked on.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Foster-"

"Dr. Foster," Anna corrected.

"Dr. Foster, by we're the good guys," Phil finished.

"So are we!" she pressed. "I'm on the verge of understanding something extraordinary. And everything I know about this phenomenon is either in this lab, or in this book!" she said, holding up the book in her hand.

 _Oh, she should've kept that to herself,_ Anna thought, motioning for the Agent behind her to grab it.

"And you can't just take this away -hey!" Foster rushed to the back of the truck, fulling intending on grabbing her book back.

"Jane, easy! Easy, Jane!" her friend said, trying desperately to calm her down.

Anna closed the back of the truck. "They've got it all," she informed Coulson. "We're ready to move out when you are."

Phil gave one last look to Foster and said, "Thank you for your cooperation." And with that, him and Anna turned back to the SUV they had arrived in.

Once inside, Anna sighed, her eyes glued to the desperate and devastated scientist left standing outside the building. "I hate this part," she said. "Why couldn't we just, you know, recruit them or something? Image what they could do if they continued their research for SHIELD."

"I know, but that's not our call to make," Phil told her.

"Does doing that ever get easier?" she asked, glancing at Phil once she couldn't see Dr. Foster anymore.

"No, not really."

* * *

"Your first 0-8-4 and it's a hammer," Clint laughed.

Anna just rolled her eyes and lead Client to where they set up the perch for him. Clint always liked to be high up to see everything. It was how he worked best. He had arrived late that afternoon, later than the rest of the agents that were backing them up. Many of the agents were SciTech graduates, studying the 0-8-4 and trying to figure out how to get the hammer out of the ground. Nobody seemed to be able to lift the damn thing, much like Excalibur.

"One that nobody can pick up," she said. "I guess that's something…"

"A little disappointing though, right?"

"Okay, maybe just a bit," Anna admitted.

Clint chuckled, stepping onto the platform that would be lifted into the air by the levy for him. "How do you like it though? All of this field work?"

"Honestly? I don't know," she answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I've been too busy to really let anything sink in and process. It's been a hectic couple of days."

"I hear that," Barton said. "Have you heard from Clark lately?"

"No," she answered.

"You miss him?" the man questioned.

"Of course," she said. "Don't you miss Laura, Cooper and Lila?"

Laura was Clint's beautiful and sweet, snarky brunette wife. Anna had only meet them a couple of times, really after her own parents died. Clint had invited Anna to his home shortly after she left Fury's Cabin, and that was where she met Laura, and Clint's two children, Cooper, the oldest son, and Lila, his young daughter. Anna truly believed that one of the only reasons she recovered from the death of her parents so quickly was because Clint help Anna believe in family again.

Clint nodded his head. "You never stop," he said. "You should come around sometime for dinner. I know Laura would love it, and so would the rats."

Anna just laughed. "Of course. But only if Laura makes her lasagna again. That was the best damn thing I've ever eaten, and I lived in Italy, remember."

"Sure thing, Kid," he said.

"Not a kid!" Anna scolded him. "So, think this'll do?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Now all I need is to know where to get my stuff."

Anna just rolled her eyes. "Okay, come on. I'll show you to the truck," she said, leading him to the weapons truck. "I'll talk to you later, okay? I'm going to head back inside to my post before I get drenched."

Anna departed the truck, making her way inside to the second tier of scaffolding overlooking the the 0-8-4. She stood just inside the hallway with cover since she heard the thunder clashing in the distance, and the smell of cool rain in the air.

" _Agent down, we've got a perimeter breach."_

The agent on the radio's message played out in Anna's earpiece, causing her to instinctively place her hand over the gun on her hip. She had already been informed earlier that day that in case of a situation such as that arose, she would be there to make sure nobody got in to the touch the 0-8-4. She had permission to use deadly force if necessary. But that was if and only if the outside protection failed. The chanced of that happening though, were far slimmer than someone getting inside that tent to the 0-8-4.

" _I need eyes up high with a gun,"_ Anna heard Phil's voice instruct, obviously towards Agent Barton. A couple minutes later, Anna heard him chime in once more, again, directed to Agent Barton. " _Barton? Talk to me."_

" _You want me to slow him down, Sir?"_ Clint asked. " _Or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?"_

" _I'll let you know. Carr, you in position?"_

"Yes Sir," Anna answered instantly. She was in a bit of shock, however, seeing as she never thought it physically possible for someone to break through their defenses and make their way into a secured SHIELD site. It was only a second later that Anna w as greeted by Phil's presence next to her.

"This is unexpected," Anna muttered to him.

" _Better call it, Coulson, 'cause I'm starting to root for this guy,"_ Clint commented.

The guy finally walked in after taring the side of the plastic wall down. He walked in, circling the 0-8-4 for a moment. Anna already had her gun drawing and pointed at the man, but she glanced to Phil to see what her orders were. He shook his head, but Anna didn't lower just in case he changed his mind.

" _Last chance, Sir."_

"Wait, I want to see this," Phil said.

The man reached down with his right hand and placed it on the handle, giving the 0-8-4 a good tug, but the hammer didn't move. When it didn't budge, he grunted, placing the other one the red handle to pull harder. Again and again the man pulled at it, but the object wouldn't move an inch. He yelled frustratedly before finally dropping to his knees in pathetic and heartbroken defeat.

"Alright," Phil said into the radio. "Show's over. Ground units, move in."

As the man was taken without much resistance at all, Phil motioned for Anna to follow behind him. "I want you to watch the interrogation. Get a feel for it."

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

There were so many questions running through Anna's head that she didn't know where to start. Why was this tall, muscular, hot stranger that broke into their site? How was he able to do it? How did he fight so well? Where did he learn it? Why wasn't he speaking? How did he even know about the hammer? He looked like he knew where it would be, and what it was, and he honestly looked surprised that he couldn't pick up the 0-8-4.

Anna sat outside the glass interrogation room with a little notebook in her lap as she watch Phil, who was standing in front of the blond man in his chair. There was just something so off about the man in the brightly lit room.

He looked so sad, so lost. Anna knew that look. That look of despair, and no hope anywhere to be found. She had once recognized it in the mirror. There was no worse feeling either. Despite her frustration and confusion over the man, she felt for him. Nobody should have to feel that way. Not even a man that broke into SHIELD.

"You made my men, some of the most highly trained professionals in the world, look like a bunch of minimum-wage mall cops," Phil said. "That's hurtful." There was no response. There wasn't even any movement from the man. All he did was stare down into space. "In my experience," Phil went on, "it takes someone who's received similar training to do what you did to them. Why don't you tell me where you received your training? Pakistan? Chechnya? Afghanistan?...No, you strike me more as the soldier of fortune type. Where was it? South Africa?"

Anna could tell Phil was getting a bit annoyed with the lack of response. "Certain groups pay very well for a good mercenary like you. Who are you?"

Finally, the man slowly looked up at Coulson. But he didn't even as much open his mouth to answer.

"One way or another, we find out what we need to know. We're good at that," Phil said, before his pager interrupted him. He pulled it out and checked it before placing it back in his pocket. "Don't go anywhere," he said, before leaving the room. Once out of the room he looked to Anna and said, "Make sure he doesn't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

And with that, Anna was left to sit there to study the man as he remained alone. Anna was getting a lot from what Phil was doing, but she had to disagree with what he thought. Anna didn't think the man was a mercenary. If he had been, he most likely wouldn't have collapsed and given up the way that he did when he couldn't lift the 0-8-4. And the merc didn't kill anybody upon breaking in. He beat the shit out of some guys, but he didn't do anything that couldn't be healed with a little time.

That lead her to believe that this guy wasn't all that bad. But if he wasn't all that bad, who the hell was he?

Anna's attention was drawn away from her notes, all of which she had written all of her thought down on, when she heard the man inside the small, isolated room speak.

"Loki! What are you doing here?" he asked, his gaze staring right up in front of him, as if looking up at a person, when nobody was in fact standing there.

Anna quickly wrote down the word with a question mark placed after it.

"What's happened? Tell me, is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to father."

And just like that, his expression changed from a bit confused and grateful to devastated. It was that look of complete shock, like when someone said you were fired from your job, or that you dog ran away and nobody could find it, or the unexpected death of a loved on. It was along those lines. That pure hurt and pained expression.

"What?" he asked.

Anna stood up, her hand pressing flat against the glass. The man's lip trembled, and a tear from the eye closed to her slowly slid down his cheek into the blond beard alone the side of his jaw. He bowed his head, staring down at the floor. After a moment, he looked back up.

"Can I come home?" he asked slowly, leaving a moment for the response Anna could not possibly hear or imagine. "Yes, but couldn't we find a way-"

To Anna, home had once been with her family, not the apartment in New York, But after the death of her parents, she couldn't seem to call it such anymore, even with her brother still alive and out there. The New York apartment wasn't home. It was lodging. It was a place to eat and sleep. Nothing of sentimental value whatsoever. Home, for a short time, had been with Tony in Malibu. She felt save, cared for, and even loved there, but now, even that was a strange place.

Anna was homeless, so with the thought of this man not having a home struck her in ways that it never should an Agent of SHIELD. She was supposed to be professional. Her feelings weren't to get involved, that was how she got into the mess with Stark in the first place. But perhaps, that's what made her such a good, approachable, trusting person and undercover agent. Anna had a hard time not wearing her heart on her sleeve.

"No," he said. " _I_ am sorry. Thank you for coming here."

Anna was so absorbed in watching the man that Anna didn't even notice when Phil addressed her, walking by her and entered the room once more just as the man said, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye? I just got back," Phil said, snapping Anna out of it.

 _Shit_ , Anna though, quickly moving to enter the room. "Agent Coulson?" she asked, standing just out of sight of the man. "A word please?"

He didn't seem all too pleased that his interrogation was getting interrupted again, but he did, in fact, follow Anna out. "What?" he asked.

"I think we've got this all wrong," Anna said.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Phil pressed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"When you were gone, he went into this whole conversation with somebody that wasn't even there," Anna said, glancing down at her notes. "I think he called him Loki? He mentioned something about Jotunheim, whatever that is. He cried, then proceeded to ask if he could go that, he apologized for something and thanked them for coming before saying goodbye, which was when you walked back in there."

"I don't understand," Phil said. "Why would he be talking to himself?

"I don't know, but he did sound genuinely sorry, so maybe this guy isn't as stone cold as we though," she said. "I mean, if he was a mercenary, why didn't he kill any of the guys on his way in? Or fight his way out when he didn't get the 0-8-4? A merc wouldn't cry and talk to himself, would he?"

"Not unless he needs a psych eval," Phil muttered.

"Good point," she admitted with a shrug.

"Okay, so how do you suggest we go about this then?" Phil said, actually listening to her.

That was one of the best things about Phil Coulson. He didn't undermine Anna's work. He didn't use her age against her. He didn't thinks he couldn't handle any of this because she had, time and time again, proven that she was fully capable of doing so. So when she said something was off, he wanted to hear her out and see if there was any validity to what she was saying.

Anna had to think about that for a moment. Honestly, she was kinda hoping he'd have an idea after she informed him of her thoughts, but that wasn't any way for her to get her feet wet. So, after thinking for a quick few seconds, and bit her lip and said, "Let me go in."

"You want to interrogate him?" Phil asked, a bit protectively.

"Why not? I mean, we've already tried semi-bad cop," Anna said. "Why don't we try something a little different."

"Okay, let's see what you've got."

* * *

 **Okay, so next time you get to see Anna and her unique form of interrogation/work that differs from most SHIELD people. I hope you guys look forward to that, and have liked how these chapters have been flowing together. Please, leave a review and let me know what you think.**

Thanks got to the following people for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 ** _TheLightningDreamer_** \- There was a slight reaction/him finding out here, but it's not going to be for a while until Tony truly finds out of everything. I can't answer the questions about Steve yet, you'll just have to wait and see what the answer to it.

 _ **19irene96**_ \- I take it you liked the ending. lol. I'm glad you liked Tony getting it stuck to him. He deserved to be put in his place every once in a while.

 ** _Fangirling007_** \- Lol Yeah, Tony needs to snap out of it. We'll see if he gets better in Avengers!

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ I'm glad you liked their conversation. I've had it written since pretty much the very beginning of the story.

 _ **Guest** _ \- No problem whatsoever!


	17. Aliens

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Thor, Agents of SHIELD, Avengers, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 16  
Aliens

Agent Philip Coulson wasn't exactly sure what he was doing letting a Junior Field Agent take control of an interrogation with a man that managed to take out most of his best men, let alone the little seventeen year old brunette he liked to affectionately call his niece. Anna had never done a formal interrogation before, though her undercover work was effective. She managed to extract information and get her job done each and every time (excluding the Palermo Mission, of course). So he had to trust and see where this could go.

The man gave her thirty minutes to prep, which wasn't really time they could afford to lose, but Anna insisted that she needed to do a little research, and seeing as the technology around them was going haywire because of the 0-8-4, Anna was going to need a little time.

Anna sat in the back of the weapons truck for the majority of her prep time. It was the quietest place to be, and once Anna informed Clint what she was going, he was happy to just sit there with her in silence as she worked. Clint could be annoying and sarcastic, but he was professional and a good agent.

Firstly, Anna had her notes on her lab, the laptop on the floor as she did a quick internet search for information

 _Speaking to nobody._

 _Loki?_

 _Jotunheim?_

 _Wants to go home - where is home?_

 _Can't go home._

 _Feels sorry for something._

 _Thankful for coming?_

Obviously, she needed need to look up anything about people talking to themselves, or people that weren't necessarily there. The first thing she looked up was the name: Loki. The only thing she could really find in the SHIELD database was from the Norse Religions and Mythology of the God Loki, of Asgard.

" _Loki, a shape-shifter and god of mischief. In the_ _tales_ _, Loki is portrayed as a scheming coward who cares only for shallow pleasures and self-preservation. He's by turns playful, malicious, and helpful, but he's always irreverent and nihilistic,"_ Anna wrote.

Moving on, Anna then went to look up what Jotunheim was.

" _Jotunheim: translated meaning "World of the Giants." One of the Nine Worlds of Norse Mythology, and as, the name implies, the homeland of the giants. In the Eddas, the dwelling places of the giants are described as deep, dark forests, mountain peaks where winter never ceases its grip and similarly inhospitable and grimm landscapes."_

 _Okay, so the recurring factor so far is Norse Mythology,_ Anna thought, tapping her pen against the notepad. _So….this guy knows Loki, an Asgardian?_ She thought, her head all jumbled. _And he wants to go home, but is home with this Loki character he knows and was "talking" to, or is it Jotunheim? But then again, that's not technically possible, is it? All of these things are just myths. And why was he sorry? Why was he so upset? Was it because he couldn't go home?_

Anna groaned, hitting her head off the back of the cabinet she was leaning up against. The more and more she looked into it, the more confused she got, the more her head hurt, and the more she figured the guy really did need a psych eval.

"Research not helping?" Clint asked, grabbing a bag of potato chips he had stashed away in the drawer.

"Nope," Anna answered. The alarm on her phone went off, and Anna stood up, her notebook in hand. She hopped out of the truck and stole the bag of chips from his hands. "I need this, thanks!" she said before running through the rain to cover.

"Hey!"

Once back inside, she found Phil standing outside the glass in her previous spot. She nodded and entered, the bag still in her hand. She took a deep breathe and walked in. Expecting to see Coulson instead of a young, innocent looking, big gray eyes brunette, the man sitting in the chair looked surprised to see her.

Anna sat down against the glass next to him, right where Phil was looking in and a couple feet down from the door. It was a lot closer then Phil had gotten, which was a little concerning to him, seeing as the guy wasn't restrained and could lash out any second. But he had to trust Anna had a plan and knew what she was doing.

Little did he know, Anna generally never had a plan and winged half of the shit she did.

Anna sat there, her legs crossed in and held out the bag of chips to him. He just looked at her cautiously and confused. Knowing he most likely wouldn't eat them if he suspected they were laced with something, Anna brought the bag back to her and opened them. She took one out, placed it in her mouth and ate it. Once she was down, she held the open bag out to him again to see if he'd eat them.

Cautiously, the blond reached out and took the bag from her, slowly taking one out and tasting it. Once he figured out that he enjoyed the taste, he proceeded to eat the entirety of the small bag.

Up close, Anna could see him so much better than from two stories up, or through the glass. Sitting next to him, Anna could see just how blue and beautiful his eyes were, and how pale his skin was. His hair, honestly, even all messed up from the rain and mud, was even better than her own. The man was beautiful, and he had the body of a God, even bigger than Captain America.

The first thing said was a bit of a shock to all of them. "You look sad," she pointed out. "Are you okay?"

Concern and sympathy wasn't something he had expected, and neither was a child. "I….I suppose there isn't much to be done about it," he admitted, speaking to SHIELD for the first time.

"I don't know about that," Anna said. "Maybe if you tell us, I can help you. I like to help people, it's why I work for SHIELD."

"But you are just a child," he said, studying her.

"I have a name," she informed him. "It's Anna. And I think you and I both know that appearances aren't what they always seem," she said, pulling her legs up to her chest. "I may be a child, but I'm also fully capable of taking down the same men you brought down just a little while ago. And I know that most of the people on the other side of this glass think you're a paid mercenary."

"You fight for what you believe in, that is admirable," he complimented. "You suspect otherwise? Differently than your peers around you?"

"Yes," Anna said.

"And why is that?" he asked.

Anna didn't know exactly why, she obviously had the signed she stated to Coulson, but otherwise, it was mainly just the look in his eyes. That lost, hopeless expression. It wasn't cold and deadly, or even those of the looks in the eyes of the Italian mercenaries that had her and her parents when they died.

"Because I recognize the look in your eyes," Anna admitted. "I've seen in so many places, on so many face. Even my own."

He quickly glanced up, questioning her sentence and obviously wondering what the girl had been through, but didn't say anything on the matter.

"Who is Loki?" Anna asked softly.

Again, his face contorted into a look of questioning. "How do you know of Loki?"

"I saw you talking earlier. That's why I knew you were upset," she answered. "You were talking to someone named Loki, but I didn't see or hear anyone else in here. Can you explain that?"

There was no response. It seemed that what little amount of distance she had gained with him was now gone, for some reason or another. Anna wasn't exactly sure what to do now,nor did she know just how long Phil was willing to met this experiment go on.

"It sounded to me like he was your friend," Anna said, trying to get somewhere. "Someone you care about. You looked surprised to see them. Surprised, but happy." Anna sat there, looking up at the man with soft eyes, her voice soothing to the ears. "Am I getting warm?"

The man looked up and opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, but closed it. He did, however, go on this time after a moment of debating with himself. "Brother," he finally said. "Loki is my brother."

 _Oh, so it's a brother,_ Anna thought, nodding her head in understanding. "Older, or younger?" she asked, a small smile on her face.

"He is younger," he answered.

"I have an older brother," she told him, trying to gain a bit of trust.

The man smiles just ever so softly. "There is nothing like a sibling relationship."

"I couldn't agree more," Anna said. "Though, sometimes it's really annoying. I mean, when I was four, he used to force me to eat worms. It was disgusting," she laughed. "And that's one of the tame stories."

"That makes me recall adventures with my brother," he chuckled, before his small smile sadly fell off his face.

"I did a little research on the name Loki," Anna told him. "All I found were Norse Myths. Loki, god of mischief. And you mentioned Jotunheim. That's a lot of connections to Norse Mythology's. It honestly just leaves me with more questions than answers, my friend. So I'm going to ask you this: You said you wanted to go home," Anna brought up. "Where is home, exactly?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," he said, chuckling humorlessly.

"Try me," Anna said. "I work for SHIELD. There's a hammer out there that nobody seems to be able to pick up, like it's some kind of real life Excalibur. I've seen some pretty amazing things, so the chances I'll believe you are a bit higher than you might believe."

He looked up at her, obviously debating with himself whether to do it or not. He opened his mouth, as if to answer her question, but just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the glass and the sliding door opened.

"Carr?" Sitwell, said, entering the room. "He's got a visitor."

Anna looked back to the blond man, seeing that he was closing himself off once more. _Damnit_ , Anna swore. _I was so close to getting him to talk!_ Hiding her frustration, Ana got u from the floor and followed Sitwell out, meeting with Phil at the entrance of the facility where one of Dr. Foster's colleges stood. Dr. Selvig, Anna found out, from the computer monitor identifying his licence.

"His name is Donald Blake?" Phil asked.

"Dr. Donald Blake," the name, Selvig corrected.

"You have dangerous coworkers, Dr. Selvig," Phil said.

"He was distraught when he found out that you've taken all our research," he answered. "That was years of his life, gone! You can understand how a man could go off like that. A big, faceless organization like yours coming in with their jackbooted thugs and-" Just one look from Coulson got him to shut up. "That's how he put it…"

"That still doesn't explain how he managed to tear through our security," Phil said.

"Steroids! He's a bit of a fitness nut." Selvig answered.

 _I'm not buying it,_ Anna thought, glancing at Phil. _If the guy was a fitness nut, he'd know they weren't good for him._

The computer to Anna's left beeped, causing all of them to look over at it. The ID with their blond bulky man was faked. The Technician brought their attention to the computer to show them, even though they were already looking.

"It says here that he's an MD," Phil said, going along with it.

"Well, he is! Or, he was," Selvig said, trying to change his story, or made it fit. He was doing a poor job. "He switched careers and became a physicist. A brilliant physicist. He's a wonderful man. He's a man in pain."

"Okay, why don't you follow us and we'll bring you to him," Phil said, moving to the side and motioning into the facility.

" _What_?" Anna gaped, stepping closer to Phil. She went on whispering, "I was just getting _through_ to him!"

"Agent Sitwell, could you please escort Dr. Selvig to Dr. Blake?" Phil asked.

"Yes, Sir," Sitwell answered, leading Selvig away.

Phil turned back to Anna, giving her a pointed look. "I know what I'm doing, Agent Carr. It's best to remember that."

"Yes, Sir," she answered reluctantly.

Selvig and "Blake" came back up, "Blake," glancing down at Anna as he walked by her, tower over her. She crossed her arms over her chest, like a child that had lost a board game to her older brother.

Once they were on their way, halfway to the outer gate, Phil turned to Anna and said, " I want you to follow them. Discretely, understood?"

"Yes, Sir," Anna said, nodding her head to go change into civilian wear instead of the professional suit she had on.

"Dr. Selvig!" Phil called out, just as Anna walked down the steps to run to the SUV her things were in. "Just keep him away from the bars!"

"I will!"

"Follow them," Phil pressed. Anna smirked. Now that the idea was planted in their head, she knew exactly where they were going to go. _Thanks, Phil,_ Anna thought.

* * *

Tailing people, and stakeouts sounded far more entertaining and amusing than they actually were. After changing into a gray v-neck tee-shirt, a flannel blue plaid shirt over top, while getting covered in a brown leather jacket, a pair of blue skinny jeans and a black pair of boots, a black ball cap, and her gun pucked in the back of her pants, Anna made her way to the cars and made her way to the town.

She found Selvig and the mystery man at the bar, just as suspected, and ended up tailing them as they walked back to Jane Foster's trailer beside the research building. A little while later, mystery blond and Dr. Foster left the trailer and up to the roof of the facility. Anna hid herself away in a nearby alley, her little spy scope allowing her to check up on them every once in awhile.

They spent the whole night there, leaving Anna sitting on the ground in the cold New Mexico evening. Anna was on her fourth day without sleep. So, bored out of her mind and desperate for sleep, the only thing Anna had to keep herself entertained was a little bouncy ball she kept in her jacket pocket, throwing it against the opposite wall, and catching it, only to repeat her action over and over and over again.

Anna did receive a text, however, a bit earlier from Phil telling her that there was some new developments, and once he found out more he would let her know, but for the time being she would remain at her post, following their mystery man.

It wasn't until early the next morning that something really happened. While Anna was spying on the three identified individuals, and the one mystery intruder were having breakfast together in the lab. They seemed to be having a merry ol' peaceful time together, lightly chatting and laughing away. Anna just glared, her stomach growling loudly.

" _Base to teams two and three,we've got activity outside the town. Stay on your target."_

Anna just nodded her head to herself, knowing that Team Two got the message as well. She had spotted them on the roof of the building across the street.

" _Agent Carr? Do you copy? This is Team Two, over."_

Anna pressed the button in her comm. link in her ear to answer. "This is Team Three, I read you."

" _We have four….individuals approaching the target."_

Anna shifted to try and see better, but she wouldn't be able to see anything until whomever they were talking about approached the entrance of the building. "Could you be a bit more specific there, Team Two?" Anna asked.

Before they answered, however, four individuals made their way up to the building, all dressed in elaborate armor, much like one might see at a ComicCon, or a convention, or even a Renaissance Fair.

"Uh, nevermind…" Anna added quickly. "I think it's about time to approach the Target. Stand by."

Anna got up, following shortly after the three men, and the dark haired woman.

The largest of the group, a rounded redhead knocked on the glass door loudly and happily exclaimed, "Found you!"

The four entered the building, and Anna, several seconds later, found herself slipping in, the attention drawing to her. She made her way over to Selvid and stood next to him, putting her hands up in defense and surrender. "Hey, Dr. Selvig, I'm just here for the same reason you are: answers. I'm not here to take anything."

Jane cautiously looked at her, but the newcomers were a bit too distracting to really dwell on the young female agent that had slipped in to join them. She sighed and stood next to her, finally offering a little bit of compliance. "He says his name is Thor," she said. "Selvig said you still hadn't gotten that out of him yet."

"Thank you," Anna said, holding out her hand. "And I assure you, once we figure some of this out, I'll personally see about getting your things back to you. How does that sound?" Anna didn't exactly know if she could be making that promise, but she was definitely going to try and see to it. She didn't think it was right to have the Doctors things taken like that. It was one thing to take the data, but it was another to take the equipment from her. She'd see to try and get all of it back to her.

"Thank you," she said, nodding her head. "I really appreciate that. I guess not all of you can be all bad….Thor said you were kind to him."

"We may not always be the most…considerate of people, but SHIELD really is the good side, I promise you, Dr. Foster," Anna said.

"I'm Darcy, by the way," the brunette introduced. "I'm the intern. I don't get paid."

"That sucks," Anna said.

"You look about my age," Darcy said.

"Younger, probably," Anna told her with a shrug.

"Really? Cool!" she said with a smirk.

"My friends!" Thor exclaimed. He rushed up to the newcomers and embraced them all warmly. "

"I don't believe it," Selvig said.

"Oh, excuse me," the redhead said. "Lady Sif and the Warriors Three!" he introduced.

Thor's "friends" were definitely a bunch of characters. Anna was going to need to remember specifically the title the redhead had given: The Warriors Three and Lady Sif.

Lady Sif was by far the prettiest of the bunch, though Anna kinda figured that the new blond arrival would protest to that. Her long, dark hair was pulled back tightly, in the most perfect ponytail Anna had ever seen. She knew that there was no way in hell Anna would ever be able to wear her hair that way without getting a headache. She was tall, and had the beautiful curves and figure of a woman, though her muscles were toned, just as a warriors should be.

Next was the blond pretty boy. He was average in height, his hair blond and voluminous. His mustache and facial hair combed and trimmed into perfection. He was definitely the pretty boy type, and most likely a ladies man by the way he kept looking over to Jane, Darcy, and Anna.

Next game the smaller of the group. The petite men as skinny, shorter than the rest, but that by no means meant he wasn't just as strong as the rest of the men, and woman. His hair too was pulled back in a ponytail, but his was spiking out of the holder.

Lastly was the largest of the group, the redhead. The jolly looking fellow was exactly what one would imagine a viking to look like. Tall, musclular and round with a shit load of hair. He, out of all of Thor's friends, seemed to be the most expressive with his feelings. He definitely was a jolly fellow.

"My friends, I've never been happier to see anyone," Thor said. "But you should not have come."

"We're here to take you home," Blondie laughed.

"You know I can't go home," Thor said. "My father is dead because of me. And I must remain in exile."

 _Oh, so that's why he can't go home!_ Anna thought, crossing her arms over her chest. _I suppose that makes sense why he was so upset. And I guess I kinda know how he feels._

"Thor, your father still lives," Lady Sif informed him.

Thor's expression was shocked for several moments, as well as laced with confusion. You would think that he would look relieved to know that he wasn't the cause of his father's death, or that his father wasn't even dead to begin with, but there were too many questions, even for him, to really be happy and settled with that matter.

Anna couldn't keep silent anymore. He had to jump in and ask her questions. She worked for spies, after all. And intelligence was the name of their game. "Okay, I've gotta ask," Anna said. "Does that mean you really did have a visitor in the interrogation room? You were actually talking to your brother Loki?"

"Interrogation? How dare you question the future King of Asgard!" Blondie gaped.

"Loki?" the redhead asked. "He came to see you?"

"He came to inform me of my father's passing, and the it was brought about by my actions and the impending war with Jotunheim."

Piece by piece the things in Anna's notes seemed to start to add up. Loki, Thor's brother, game to visit him and told him their father was dead because of his actions. And because of this turn of events, it was obvious that Thor wouldn't be allowed to go home, seeing as the Prince was definitely not allowed to be the cause of the death of the King.

"And Jotunheim is…?" Anna asked.

"Another planet," Jane answered for her.

"So….they're aliens…." It was so hard to believe because, just looking at him, Thor and the other didn't look any different than the humans on earth. Maybe a bit more muscular, but really, they looked normal. Or they would if they took the armor off.

"Yeah, pretty much," Darcy said.

"I interrogated an alien…." Anna muttered, running hand through her hair. "That's one for the history books."

"You're telling me, and I tased the guy!" Darcy said with great joy and amusement.

"But what I don't get it why your own brother would lie to you like that," Anna brought up, bring the conversation back on track. "I mean, it's one thing to joke about the family dog, which is still cruel, but your dad?"

Thor didn't get the chance to answer because the loud boom of thunder directed everybody's attention outside. After all, the day was bright and clear. There was no reason for thunder.

Making their way to the door, Anna could look right down the main road out into the desert. Right where a bundle of clouds were forming. And just like that, as the group of people were looking out at the strange anomaly, a funnel shot down to the ground. It wasn't like a tornado, or anything Anna had ever seen. The only way she could think of describing it was by saying something dropped out of the bundle above and pulled down the clouds with it.

Anna narrowed her eyes. Phil has said something strange was going on and that they were all going to go check it out, and once they knew what it was, he would let her know. That had to be the area of interest. It was the only thing that possibly made sense.

"Our agents are there," Anna muttered, her concern for Phil and the rest of the agents very evident by her tone of voice and her expression.

"Was somebody else coming?" Darcy asked.

Then, before anybody could answer Darcy, there was an explosion so large it was visible from where they were. And then another one. And another.

"Oh my God. What was that?" Anna gasped, her hand moving to cover her gaping mouth. "Phil…"

The brunette shook her head before she took her hat off and ran her fingers through her hair. She needed to get her act together. Whatever that just arrived was dangerous. She couldn't focus on the fact that Phil, and how many other agents that went to investigate could all be dead.

Phil could be laying there, bleeding from shrapnel from the explosion, or he could be dead from being inside one of the car. He couldn't died instantly. Or, he could be trapped inside one of the burning vehicles, the flames burning and bumbling his skin into blisters, his screams unheard over the roar of the flames.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Anna muttered primarily to herself, the bile building in her mouth.

"Jane, you have to leave," Thor ordered.

"What are you gonna do?" Jane asked.

"I'm staying here," Thor answered.

"Thor's going to fight with us!" Red said.

Thor moved away from Jane's side and over to his friends, placing his hand on Red's shoulder. "My friends," he said, "I'm just a man. I'll only be in the way, or worse, get one of you killed. But I _can_ help get these people to safety."

"Well, if you're staying, then so am I," Jane protested.

He looked as if he wanted to protest, but Anna stepped next to Thor and pulled out her gun from the back of her pants. "Don't worry, I'll watch over them. You have my word," she informed the Asgardian.

Thor nodded and didn't protest. "We'll need some time," he said.

"You'll have it," blondie told him.

"Okay, move it, people!" Darcy yelled, kinda confused on what she was going to do until she saw the pet store and made her way over there to start evacuating the animals.

And that, of course, snapped Anna into leader mode. Her protective instincts kicked in. "Selvig, go to the diner and get everybody out. Have them use the back exit. We have to keep as many people off the main street as possible!"

Anna ran into the antique store on the corner to do just as she had instructed Selvig to do. Se ran in, gun still in hand and checked the store for a back exit. There wasn't one, so they had to make due with evacuating them onto the main street and then leading them away. "Okay, everybody needs to evacuate now! This is not a drill. This is a real emergency. Please exit the store immediately."

"Says who?" the worker behind the cash register asked.

Anna reached back and pulled out her badge from her pocket, showing it to the man. "Says SHIELD."

"Never heard of you, which means you don't exist," he retorted, crossing his arms as several customers walked around her and left the store.

"Oh, well, does this not exist either?" Anna asked, lifting her gun and pointing it to the man. She had no intention of shooting to begin with, but she did need to scare the guy enough to get him to leave the store. "If you don't want to get shot, get out of the damn store!"

Once everybody was out of the store, Anna moved on to the next, and then the next. As people got out onto the street, the team of scientists and Asgardians were helping load people into cars, jam packing them. Anybody that could fit would go and they needed everybody to go. Anna didn't know what was coming, but if Thor didn't like it, Anna assumed she probably wouldn't like it either.

Almost everybody was off the main street with the large, silver metaled giant came strolling down the main strip. She practically froze in place, her mouth gaping wide. "What the hell…" she muttered, her gray eyes narrowing.

The face of the thing opened, and revealed nothing inside but red and orange flames. It turned its head towards the liquor store and shot out one beam, blowing the joint up. It didn't stop there though. Next went the gas station. And in the large explosion, the thing got caught, but not affected whatsoever.

"What the fuck is that thing," she muttered before finally snapping out of her shock. Moving on, Anna ran to catch up with Jane to see how the evacuation was going.

Lady Sif broke off of the pack while the Warriors Three continued to make their way down the main street headon of the path of the giant. "For Asgard!"

The redhead ran forward, and when he was met by his two comrades, they threw him forward with such force that Anna could barely follow him with her eyes.

"Does anybody else get the whole 'For Naria' vibe from that,"

Jane turned and looked at Anna, her brows knit together. "How old _are_ you?"

The giant, however, was much more adapt to such things and raised its arm back and swatted the redhead away, almost like the back of a hand and a fly. Making his way to the redhead laying flat on the hood of a car, the giant opened its faceplate again, fully intending to blast the Asgardian into next Tuesday.

Lady Sif, however, finally decided to make her appearance though. Jumping off of the roof that had once housed the two other tailing agents, she landed on the back of the thing, stabbing it through the upper back/neck. And with that blow, the thing stopped.

For a couple seconds, at least.

The whole thing was freaky, if anybody asked Anna. The thing pretty much rotated it's whole body around without actually physically getting up and shifting around. It was like an owl turning its head 180 degrees, but instead of it only being its head, it was its whole body.

The other members of the Warriors Three moved to grab the redhead. He was moved off the car and pulled down the street, though he was able to actually stand and walk with their help. Lady Sif was having the brunt of the attackers attention now. The thing shot up in the air, knocking her off its chest and onto the blacktop.

"Fall back!" she ordered, running down the street to safety.

It didn't take long for the thing to recover and turn their way though. It shot at the road, moving to Lady Sif and hitting her, sending her flying. The next targets were the men, shooting them into the diner.

"Go. Now. Run," Thor ordered.

If the Asgardians were having a hard time taking this thing out, so there was really no way for Anna to take out the thing if those gods couldn't. Right now, her objective was to get these people to safety. So, while ushering the others in front of them and running behind them, which meant she was the closest to the individual blast shot into the dinner to take out the Warriors.

Anna was sent to the ground, debris tripping her. Glass cut the exposed skin on her face and neck, but that was fortunately it. Nothing severe. Her ears were ringing, but other than that, Anna was okay. She got up to check on the rest of the group while Thor went to check on Sif.

"We need to fall back," Bondie said, helping the redhead walk after the explosion. He met up with their little group. "Come on."

It was then that Jane realized Thor wasn't with any of them. "Wait!" she yelled, turning back around to see where he was. "What's he doing?"

Thor was making his way towards the giant. He walks normal, as if it was something he did everyday, walking down the street to work, or going to meet a friend for lunch. The man was at peace with what was going to happen, and he knew that what he was doing would most likely end with his death. But protecting the innocent was what was important.

Anna understood that far more than anyone. It was why she was a member of SHIELD in the first place.

The group was just barely able to hear what he was telling the giant. "Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent. Talking their lives will gain you nothing." They were face to face, and the giant had the faceplate open, ready to attack. "So take mine and end this." A couple seconds later, the faceplate closed.

The giant turned, as if to move away. While halfway turned, the giant spun back around and backhanded Thor across the chest and neck, sending him flying so far back that he almost made it to where their group was standing.

"No!" Jane yelled. She rushed forward, desperate to get to Thor to see if he was okay.

Anna and Darcy moved to grab her, but their hands slipped off her jacket. Darcy, however, stayed back with selvig. Anna rushed after Jane. She knew she couldn't make her move and go back, which meant Anna needed to stand between her and that giant thing. Someone needed to protect them.

Protecting Anna's job. So that's what Anna did. She stood in between Jane and Thor, and that monster, her jun raised and pointed as it started to walk away.

"It's over," Thor whispered.

"No, it's not over," Jane protested.

"I mean, you're safe," he clarified.

"We're safe."

"It's over…." he repeated, taking a gasping his last breathe.

"No," she cried. "No."

Without putting her gun away or redirecting her aim, Anna knelt down and placed two fingers to THor's neck to feel for a pulse. She wasn't exactly sure if she'd be able to, seeing as he was an Alien with different biology, but she had to at least try and check. She never really got to feel for it though, as a shooting/whooshing noise in the distance redirected her attention. Her head shot to the distance in the direction that the camp was set up.

Anna narrowed her eyes, slowly rising back to her original position. _What the…?_ she questioned for the millionth time in the last couple of days.

"Did you….call for reinforcements?" Selvig asked Anna.

Anna shook her head, her eyes watching the rocketing thing in the sky. "No," she answered. "My backup was already taken out…"

"Jane!" Selvig yelled, rushing up to them. "Come!"

Anna understood. She put the gun away, back where she had been keeping it, and grabbed Jane's left arm. Selvig got to them and grabbed her right. They didn't know what that thing was, and no matter what it was, reinforcement or not, they needed to get out of there. "Come on, we have to go."

"No, no, no," Jane protested.

When the small object finally got to them, Thor's arm raised up, and lightening shot out of the 0-8-4. Starting from his hand that held the object, armor crept over his skin, as if forming to him. It was one of the most unbelievable thing Anna had ever seen. It defied logic and physics.

"Oh. My. God," Jane gaped.

And out of that lightning surrounding the blonde Asgardian, the hammer flew, knocking into the giant metal man. Twice. Once on the throw and then on the return. Thor caught it with ease, appearing to be perfectly fine.

Now the man was on his feet, no injuries in sight. He was dropped in armor and a beautifully red cape. His armor clinging to him, accentuating his muscles. Anna had to admit, it was very pleasing to the eye. After all, gods were supposed to be that way, weren't they?

Thor rose into the air, spinning the 0-8-4 around in a circle to create a funnel cloud. Whatever was going on in the dark gray mass was impossible to see. Anna stood there, her eyes squinting in order to prevent dust and glass from flying into them. She raised her arm, giving them another layer of protection.

Eventually, there was a loud crash and shakin gf the ground as something fell from the funnel. The twister dissipated, and out walked Thor. He stopped just in front of Selvig, Jane and Anna, all of which were gaping in amazement at what had just happened.

"So, is this how you normally look?" Jane asked.

"More or less," he answered with a smirk.

She smiled back, nodding her head as she checked him out. "It's a good look," she said.

"We must go to the Bifrost site," Thor declared. "I would have words with my brother."

While all of the action had been going on, nobody took notice of the cars that entered into town. There were several agents standing outside the SHIELD issued vehicle, and Phil was the only agent making his way over to Anna and the alien.

"Excuse me!"

Anna's head snapped to her right, her gray eyes widening. "Phil!" she exclaimed, running over to him to make sure he was okay. "Are you okay? We saw the explosions and I…"

"I'm okay," he told her. "But that can wait for now." Phil kept walking forward, Anna following right behind. "Donald?" Phil asked. "I don't think you've been completely honest with me."

"Know this, Son of Coul," Thor said. "You and I, we fight for the same cause, the protection of this world. Anna has shown me that she, and in turn you, can be trusted. From this day forward, you can count me as your ally. _If_ you return the items you have taken from Jane."

"Stolen," Jane corrected.

"Borrowed," Phil said.  
"Commandeered?" Anna offered.

"Of course, you can have your equipment back," Phil said. "You're gonna need it to continue your research."

"I told you, Jane, we're not the bad guys," Anna said.  
"You you like to see the bridge we spoke of?" Thor asked.

"Uh, sure?" Jane answered.

Thor wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his side. She giggled girlishly, and placed her hand against his chest.

"Wait, I need to debrief you!" Phil stated to say, but was cut off as Thor took off.

"Stuff like this keeps happening," Anna told Phil.

"Yeah, I'm getting that," he said, He turned to Anna, checking over the cuts on her face and next to see that they weren't anything to really be concerned over. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Oh, you have no idea," Anna muttered.

* * *

 **I had so much fun writing the interrogation. I really hope everyone likes this chapter. The end of it was so hard to write, you have no idea how long it took me! Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please let me know what you though.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews in the previous chapter:

 ** _WriterGirl1198_** \- I hope meeting Thor was everything you thought it would be. I had so much fun getting them to bond.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777** _ \- I hope you liked it. All of the combo/quick moving chapters and movies all going into one another is so much fun, and on of the main reasons I really wanted to write this story. It's just soooooo much fun.


	18. The Consultant

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Agents of SHIELD, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 17  
The Consultant

SHIELD was unbelievably quick. They could set up an entire city and network of tents in a matter of hours, and they could disappear and make it look as if nobody had ever been there in just as much time. After swearing Darcy, Selvig, and Jane into secrecy, though obviously allowing for them to publish their work, they inducted them semi into SHIELD as assets.

Anna and the rest of SHIELD was only in New Mexico another two days after the departure of Thor, having helped with the cleanup and asking people for their statements. That didn't mean that all of their attention was completely focused on what was going on in New Mexico though. Anna had been informed about the events that took place at the Stark Expo with Tony, Rhodey, and Ivan Vanko, as well as the recruitment of Tony as a consultant for SHIELD.

But really, things moved forward and work went on.

* * *

People are generally a lot nicer to you when you are nice to them. After sweetly asking the waitress behind the diner counter in the little place she, Phil and Agent Sitwell were sitting in, she turned the television on to the news for the seventeen year old. Anna could multitask while working.

Anna asked the second she got in there before following Agent Coulson to the booth where Agent Sitwell was already waiting for them, eating away at what looked like pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.

"You hungry? They make great pancakes here," Sitwell informed them.

Phil wasn't exactly in the best of moods, and Anna couldn't blame him. The meeting Anna and Phil had just gotten out of hadn't gone the way they would've liked, and now they were in a tough situation, one they really didn't want to bring to Director Fury.

She hadn't been in the country when the events took place that was really the main cause of the issue at hand with the three agents. Anna had been in Russia, of all places, but when she got back and was told about the big green thing, and some other big freaky ugly thing that took out a good portion of Harlem, she couldn't be happy to hear that the ugly one was going to be placed into the Avengers Initiative, a program so secretive that Anna barely knew anything about it despite being read in on it.

If anything, Dr. Bruce Banner, the good guy that turned into the big, green, angry guy would be the better choice, if they really had to have such an individual on the team to begin with.

"It didn't go well, did it?"Sitwell asked, noticing the looks on both of the people sitting across from him.

"No, it did now," Phil answered.

"They reject the initiative?" Sitwell asked, the worry on his face very clear.

"Of course not," Phil answered.

"They'd be stupid to reject it," Anna added.

The Avengers Initiated, as stated, was so exclusive that only a select few agents really knew about it. And Anna, even though she wasn't exactly level seven, was privy to such information due to the special circumstances of her arrangement and shadowing of Agent Phil Coulson. That was the only reason Anna was able to go to the meeting with General Ross. Normally only level seven personnel would do it. Though, Agent Sitwell was only level six, like Anna.

Digressing, the Avengers Initiative was a project designed by Director Fury. It would consist of a small, elite group of gifted, or enhanced individuals to deal with situations that the average person, or agent, could handle.

"Yeah, but they made the most idiotic, ill conceived request imaginable. They want Blonsky on the team," Phil said.

"The _Abomination_?" Sitwell gaped.

To describe the Abomination, one would first need to know about Dr. Bruce Banner. Dr. Banner was a renowned scientist in the field of Biochemistry, Nuclear Physics, and Gamma Radiation. He worked on a project to try and recreate the Super Soldier Serum that turned Captain America into the unbelievably strong, fast, enhanced individual that he was from Dr. Erskin's original formula back in WWII.

Anna wasn't exactly sure how the next chain of events took place, but somehow, whether by accident or from self experimentation, Dr. Banner was exposed to high levels of gamma radiation instead of vita rays (perhaps he was using them instead of vitas with the wrong concoction, but again, digressing), and the man mutated. Now, whenever the man's pulse accelerates, or he becomes angry, he turns into what they all call the Hulk.

The Hulk was a big, green, nearly indestructible, rage-fueled, violent, massive version of a human. Anna had seen the clips in the file. It was truly unbelievable, amazing and terrifying. Currently though, Dr. Banner was in hiding, though not very well, seeing as SHIELD knew exactly where he was.

But now, that leads into Emil Blonsky and the events that eventually lead to the Harlem Incident. Emil Blonsky was a special-ops commando with the British Royal Marines on loan to General Thaddeus Ross in his efforts to capture Dr. Baner. Blonsky somehow managed to get his hands on a small dose of something like Banner's version at the recreated Super Soldier Serum, and caused him to turn into a hulk sized mess, though a bit more orange than green, known as the Abomination. The Abomination proceeded to go on a rampage through Harlem until Dr. Banner, as the Hulk, managed to stop him.

"They really don't like when they call him that," Phil pointed out, glancing at Anna.

"You should've seen the the shouting match they threw at me. I don't think I've ever seen anybody's face turn that red before," Anna muttered. "How was I supposed to know that code name wasn't actually is code name?"

"I didn't know either," Phil muttered.

"But the Harlem Incident-"Sitwell said, bringing the conversation back on track.

"They're pinning that on Banner," Phil informed the bold agent.

"On _Banner_?" he exclaimed.

"Not the kind of guy you want to make angry. They consider Blonsky a war hero. They want him exonerated, released, and then added to the roster."

"They think we have him?"Sitwell asked.

Phil gave Sitwell an odd look for a moment, debating whether or not to tell him that they did, in fact, have Blonsky in captivity. "What's your clearance level?"

Sitwell laughed and said, "You're funny. Its Level Six, like you."

Anna couldn't help but smirk, as Phil just st there staring at Sitwell with a blank expression, just waiting for him to figure out that no, Phil wasn't level six. Phil was the best person to study under, because honestly, he was just a riot in the oddest of ways.

"Come on, there's a level seven?" Sitwell asked.

"Blonsky's in custody in General Ross's sector," Phil informed him.

"Does Fury even want Blonsky?" Sitwell asked.

"Of course not," Phil said.

Anna scoffed. "They're the only idiots that want him," Anna said.

"But he can't ignore an explicit directive from the World's Security Council," Phil said. "So we have to make sure he doesn't have to."

"How the hell are we gonna do that?" Sitwell asked.

"I have no idea," Phil said. "Agent Carr and I have been trying to figure that out all the way here, but we have to send a liaison to the General in the next twenty-four hours. "

"So on the Council's orders we have to send on of our people down to Ross to ask for Blonsky, who we don't even want?"

"Exactly," Phil and Anna said simultaneously.

Anna sat there, her gaze turned to the TV as they waited to do the ceremony. Those things never seemed to start on time, just like weddings.

"I got it. We sent a Patsy down to sabotage the debrief," sitwell said.

"A Patsy?"Phil asked, mulling it over.

"Yes, someone to screw it up. Someone so inept that General Ross will refuse to release Blonsky," Sitwell explained. "I could do it. I do a great Patsy."

"Yes you do," Phil said. "Your Patsy's legendary. In fact, when I think of the word Patsy-"

"Alright," Sitwell, said, getting that he was teasing him.

"I could do it too," Anna muttered. "I mean, I'm a teenager. There's no way he'll take me seriously. And teenagers are known to screw things up anyway," she chuckled.

The ceremony finally started, and Anna shifted her eyes over across the room to the wall. Senator Stern was standing in front of the podium outside on that bright, sunny day in Washington, DC. People were in front of him, though their attentions were more pulled to the two other individuals standing off to the left of the screen.

" _It is my honor to be here today to present these distinguished awards to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes and Mr. Tony Stark, who is, of course, a national treasure."_

"You know, I'm thinking we need a slightly different skill set if we want the general to really refuse this request then we need to send someone who will truly annoy him," Anna said. "Someone arrogant, abrasive, with an utter disdain for authority. Someone who will offend the General to his bare core."

"You're talking about the Consult-"

"No, I'm not," Phil interrupted.

"You just described him to a T," Sitwell said.

"I'm telling you right now. Stop it. I am not calling the Consultant."

Anna rolled her eyes and reached over to Phil's jacket pocket to get his phone. She held it out to him, giving him a pointed look. "Just make the damn call, Philip" she told him.

* * *

The next morning, Anna was sitting across from Phil in the very same booth. Phil was eating, but Anna wasn't really all that hungry, so instead, she just kept picking off the fruit from his plate, resulting in her hand getting smacked with a sticky fork every once in awhile.

"Oh, that had to hurt to say, Anna smirked, before something occurred to her. "You know what I don't get?" Anna muttered to Coulson, watching him eat his pancakes, while Anna just stole the fruit off the top of his plate. "Why don't people call Tony Doctor? I mean, he technically is…"

"Who knows," Phil answered.

Anna heard the little bell above the door ring as someone entered. She turned her head, her gray eyes landing on Sitwell as he made his way over to their both. Anna moved over to allow him enough space to sit next to her, seeing as it'd be weird for him to sit next to Phil. Anna was just far more approachable.

"So, any word?" Sitwell asked, after plopping down..

Phil grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth before speaking. "Mission accomplished," Phil said. "The Abomination will remain in his cage for now. Apparently the Consultant outdid himself. Ross got so mad he tried to have him removed from the bar."

"How'd that go over?" Sitwell asked.

"Stark ought the place," Phil answered. "It's scheduled for demolition on Thursday."

Anna just scoffed and stole another piece of fruit. That definitely sounded like Tony. Anna got up and straightened her blouse. "Well, thanks for the meeting, boys, but I've got a Super-SOldier to go pick up," Anna said.

"I can't believe that put you in charge of that," Sitwell said.

"Why? Jealous?" Anna laughed. "We all know Phil is."

"Shut up."

* * *

 **I know this one is shorter than the others, especially since last chapter was much longer. I hope you all still enjoy it all the same. I had fun writing it with Phil and Sitwell. This is really the setting I always get a kick out of having Anna in, since she's so out of place/in place at the same time. I find it hilarious. Anyway, please review!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ I loved having her interact with Thor! She'll eventually meet the other Asgardians as well, or, better interactions at least (since she kinda not really met them last chapter)

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- I'm so glad to hear that!


	19. Insecurities

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Captain America, Agents of SHIELD, Thor, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 18  
Insecurities

Anna was forced to assume that she was never going to sleep again. It had been seven days since Anna had gotten any form of sleep. The last bit of shut eye received had been the morning Phil had gone to pick her up from her apartment for their Tony Stark babysitting gig. She supposed she could've tried to get a bit of rest the two extra days spent in New Mexico during the night, but the teen felt guilty about the destruction that had happened to the local businesses that she spent what little free time she had. Even given for rest and relaxation to help the cleanup efforts.

And, of course, that very night she was flying back to New York was spent finishing up the paperwork and her statement of the accounts that had taken place, giving a very, very detailed account of the events that transpired. And all of the research being put into the myths of the Norse about Asgard and all of the other places they had originally thought were myth to begin with.

Once she landed, Anna instantly took a shower in the office locker room, changed into the emergency back up suit she kept in her locker and signed out one of the SHIELD SUVs to head upstate to pick Captain Rogers from Director Fury's cabin.

The drive up there was absolutely dreadful. It took absolutely everything Anna had in her power to prevent herself from falling asleep behind the wheel. She stopped every hour or so for the largest cup of coffee she could find. She made sure they loaded it with sugar even though she never really took sugar in her coffee just in hopes that a sugar rush would keep keep her eyes open and on the road. She had all of the windows rolled down to keep her cold and awake, as well as the music as loud as her little ears could take.

Hours later, when Anna arrived at the log cabin, Anna made sure to turn the music back down, all of the cups were in the garbage bag in the trunk, and the windows were securely back up so she could turn the AC on if the seat Captain so wished it.

Steven Rogers wasn't as prepared for Anna this time around as he had been when she had first picked him up in Manhattan. The brunette parked the car and casually made her way to the door and knocked. She waited patiently for the man to open the door and greet her with a polite hello, but it never came.

After waiting for a good five minutes, Anna entered her ID into the pad on the side of the door frame and entered in, her gun in hand. Once the door was open, however, Anna removed her hold on her gun and placed it back in the holder on her hip. Captain Rogers was sitting in the couch, back facing the teenager. He had that thousand mile stare, his blue eyes focusing on absolutely nothing in particular.

His mind had to be back in the past with his friends, family and enemy. The war even. His memories were the only way home from the new world around him. Anna felt a pang in her heart at the sight of the man. He was so lonely, and he looked so tired.

Anna walked closer to him cautiously. She placed her hand on his left shouldn't gently. She didn't want to scare the man, or embarrass him since she caught him in a moment of human weakness.

But before she knew it, Anna found that her wrist was being grabbed and she was pulled over the back of the couch. Once she landed on the floor at the foot of the couch, the air completely knocked out of h lungs, Anna opened her mouth to tell Rogers that it was okay, and that it was only her, but before she could even do any of that, it even take in air to replenish what she had lost, two large, masculine hands found their way around the small, petite neck of the gray eyed brunette sprawled out on the floor.

Anna raised her hands up and reached for Steve's wrists. Her hands lately wrapped all the way around his wrists as she desperately tried to pull them free of her already cut and bruised neck. They didn't budge whatsoever.

With blurry eyes and a chest in fire, Anna reached up further and smacked Steve's arms. She couldn't reach all the way up to his neck or shoulders. She was far smaller than him. But even that action seemed to go unnoticed by the man.

Anna had been strangled before. It wasn't anything all that new to her, but she had already been able to do something about it. She was a trained fighter, but there was no way for her to strategically get him off of her. She couldn't even go for a groin shot from that position.

Her vision started to black out, the only noise in the room the strangled gasps desperately leaving her throat. That one last desperate, pathetic noise resembling the man's first name that left the girl was what finally got Captain Rogers to snap out of his trances attack.

His blue eyes that had been glazed over in a fog had cleared, and he looked down sy Anna in confusion before his expression changed to one of horror. Instantly his hands were gone and he jumped back, hands running through his blond hair.

Anna rolled over and gasped, air finally entering her lungs. Seconds later the gasp was followed by a coughing fit. Clutching her neck, Anna got to her knees, using the couch as support.

"Oh my God," he gasped. "Anna, I'm so sorry! I didn't….I thought….I was…."

Steve turned away from Anna disgusted with himself. Once the female had a bit more composure, she stood up and walked over to Steve, placing a gentle hand on his arm. He jumped at the touch and spun around and looked at her, guilt dropping from his expression.

"It was an accident," Anna assured him with a deep, hoarse voice. "It's okay. I understand."

"Okay? That wasn't okay! How can you say that was okay?!" Steve snapped. "I nearly killed you!"

"But you didn't," Anna stated.

"But I-"

"No buts," Anna said sternly. "I shouldn't known better than to touch you when you had that look. You can't help PTSD. Or that you were surprised and thought I was the enemy. I probably would've don't the same exact thing."

"...I'm sorry, Anna," Steve said.

"Honestly, Captain, it's okay," she pressed with a gentle smile. "You want to get out of here? When I stayed here I got a bit stir crazy."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go…" Steve muttered. He moves and grabbed the bag at the side of the couch.

"Cool!" Anna said, turning to head to the door, subconsciously rubbing her tender neck.

After that, the next couple of hours went by relatively quiet. Thankfully the adrenaline from nearly dying was helping Anna stay away, because otherwise, the silent Steve wasn't helping. She had hoped that he would be a little talkative on the way back to help keep her sharp, but the events that had just transpired had kinda killed any light hearted conversation topics that could be brought up between the two.

"Did you go fishing?" Anna asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

"I'm sorry?" Rogers asked, snapping his attention to Anna.

"Did you go fishing while you were there?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, yes," he answered.

"When I was there, I nearly got zapped by the fence," Anna said. "I had completely forgotten about it and when I went down there, the fishing pole was out in front of me and got zapped. Thankfully, it had a rubber grip handle so I didn't get electrocuted, but still. Nearly gave me a heart attack."

"You've spent time there?" Steve asked.

"Mhm," she answered, checking her rear view mirror. "When I was fifteen after the Palermo incident."

"I'm sorry, Palermo?" Steve asked.

Anna nodded, debating with herself. But before she could really stop herself, she went on. "My brother was on another assignment, and so my parents and I were assigned a job in Palermo, Italy to investigate this mercenary/assassin group. Somehow we got compromised and...I was the only one that made it out, though I almost didn't…" Anna awkwardly cleared her throat. "For my recovery, Fury ordered me to spend some time at the cabin with my brother, but my brother left on another assignment. I was kinda glad when he did. I know he didn't blame me, but whenever I looked at him, I felt guilty, as if it had somehow been my fault.

"And I don't know why I'm telling you this because it's all highly classified," she muttered, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry I just dumped that on you."

Steve just shrugged. "I like you, Anna," he told her. "If you need to talk, I'm right here to listen. Anytime."

Anna smiled. "Thank you, Captain. I appreciate that. I hope you know that's a two way street," she offered, turning to look at him.

Steve nodded. "I do," he said. "Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered. "Shoot me anything."

"Are you….okay, Anna?" Steve asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked, glancing over at him briefly.

"You're covered in cuts and bruises," he pointed out.

"Oh, this?" she asked. "Last job I was on there was an explosion. Just got knocked over and cut by some glass. Nothing big," she answered. "I'm all good. Hey, now can I ask you something?"

Steve looked a little uncomfortable, but he finally nodded his head and said, "Sure."

"...How did you know my name was Anna?" she asked.

It had been, not necessarily bothering her, but definitely sticking out to her how the good Captain kept calling her by her first name. Especially since Anna had never actually informed him that her first name was just that. She could only recall that she had introduced herself as Agent Carr. She didn't mind that he called her it, not at all, but she really did wonder how he found out.

"You told me," he answered far too quickly.

"No I didn't," Anna corrected slowly.

"You sure?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yup," she said.

"Oh, well, maybe I heard it somewhere or something," he muttered, staring out the window. "Maybe someone told me…"

Steve's eyes looked a million miles away again, and Anna didn't want to disturb him again. She supposed it wasn't that big of a deal.

After all, how many people could say they were on a first name basis with Captain Fucking America!

* * *

 **I'm so sorry for the delayed update. It wasn't that I didn't have the chapter done either, classes have just been really terrible this semester. I don't recommend taking 18 credit hours in one semester to anybody. Anyway, for those who celebrate, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving, and I apologize to the others that don't because no turkey for you. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please, let me know what you think. Next chapter starts the Avengers.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ I'm so glad you liked the chapter and their interactions. I really love their interactions. I get a kick out of writing Anna.


	20. Beginning of the End

**Disclaimer** **: I don't own anything Marvel, Avengers, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 19  
Beginning of the End

Midnight calls were a given in the job description. Anna even believed that it was somewhere in the pamphlet they gave you got into the academy. She, of course, had never gone to the academy, nor knew if there really was a pamphlet to begin with, so she knew the hard way. From cold, hard, tiresome experience.

None of that meant she actually liked midnight calls though. Anna barely got enough sleep to deem her healthy to begin with, though the last month or so had been fairly mild since everything that happened with Thor in New Mexico. Having unexpected work calls and/or missions given to her in the middle of the night before she ever got a chance to get into rem sleep? Yeah, it made Anna a very grumpy girl.

After all, what teenager was truly a morning person?

But she pulled herself together enough, lifting her hand out of the warm blanket to pick up her charging phone on the bedside table, not checking the caller ID, and brought it to the one ear that wasn't pressed down against the pillow.

"Hello?" she answered, trying her best to make her voice sound professional and even despite not even moving to get out of bed, or opening her eyes.

" _Anna,"_ Coulson said on the other line.

It was just one word; her name. One word and Anna could tell something was wrong. Very wrong. There wasn't all that much that affected Phil, he had seemed pretty much all there was to see.

"Phil," Anna muttered, finally opening her eyes. She sat up, putting her weight onto one arm to hold herself up while the other held the phone to her ear. "What's going on? You sound freaked."

" _I need you to get packed,"_ he said.

"Packed for what? New mission?" she asked. Anna swung her feet over the side of the bed, her toes first making contact with the fuzzy rug at the foot of her bed. She leaned over to turn the lamp on, impatiently and eagerly waiting for Phil's response.

" _We're at a level seven, Anna,"_ he said, his breathing sounding as if he was rushing around. And, of course, he most likely was. After all, level seven was a shit storm _. "I'm picking you up, and after we're finished some things here in New York, we're heading out to the Helicarrier."_

If Anna hadn't been so worried about hearing Level Seven, she would've been extremely stoked about finally being able to go to the Helicarrier, a place most people only dreams of visiting – or at least SHIELD agents, that is.

"We're at war? With whom?" she demanded, jumping up in shock.

" _Loki,"_ he answered.

"Loki? Isn't that Thor's brother? The guy that sent the Destroyer?"

" _Yeah,"_ he said. " _And he took the Tesseract."_

"Wait." Anna froze. "The Tesseract….as in, the Cube that Red Skull and Zola used to power all of Hydra's weapons in World War II? We _had_ that thing?"

" _Howard Stark found it while trying to locate Captain Rogers."_

"How did Loki find it? I mean, that thing would be locked away, never to see the light of day again, wouldn't it?" His silence nearly answered her question. "Phil! Please don't tell me we were studying it!"

" _We believed it could be the key to clean, sustainable energy,"_ he told her.

"Oh, for fucks sake," Anna groaned. "Nothing good can come from that thing, Phil! I mean, look at all the shit that came from Hydra with that thing! You, of all people, should know that!"

" _What I believe has nothing to do what Director Fury enacts, Anna. I'm with you on this. I don't like it, but we can't change that now. All we can do is try and get it back. Fury has everybody looking for it."_

"So then, what are we going to do?" Anna asked.

" _We're going to see Tony."_

Anna froze again. It seemed Tony was Anna's Achilles Heel. Just mentioning him made her falter. The last time she had been assigned to a case involving him didn't exactly end with the two of them holding hands and singing coon by ya. He had said some rather hurtful things, even more hurtful than right after he figured out who she really was. Phil, of course, had talked to Tony about it, but Tony's skull was so thick, she had a hard time believing he would truly change his way of thinking about her now. So if this was anything like the last time, she was in for an earful, something she was most definitely not in the mood for with the whole Level Seven thing going on.

"Why? He was scrapped for the Avengers Initiative, wasn't he?"

" _Desperate times call for desperate measures. Fury's not exactly admitting that Iron Man is a part of the Initiative anymore."_

"But it's damn well implied by us going there," Anna finished for him.

" _Exactly,"_ he said. " _So get packed. I'll be there in a couple hours. We have some things to figure out before we go to Stark Tower."_

* * *

It didn't take Anna long to check over the bag she already had packed. She had one all ready to go in case of an emergency at all times: her identity had been discovered, the world was about to end and she had to go into work, she was going on vacation – which was very unlikely.

But once she was done, she paced around her apartment for what seemed like forever and a day. Phil was on his way on a quinjet from the Helicarrier, which obviously wasn't just a walk down the street to the supermarket. The Helicarrier location was generally unknown to most agents not directly linked to it. He said it would take a couple hours for him to get there, but after hearing that there was a Level Seven and Anna was going to have to go see Tony again, she wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. So she watered the plants, made sure none of the food in the fridge would expire within the next week just in case she was gone for a while.

She didn't want Clark to show back up home and try and drink spoiled milk. Though seeing as he was SHIELD too; he would be just as preoccupied with the Level Seven too. Anna just really needed something to keep her mind off of the potential end-of-the-world-as-they-knew-it situation they were being faces with.

So the second Anna spotted the SHIELD SUV pull up outside her building, she bolted it with her bag over her shoulder. Their first stop was to the New York Headquarters for SHIELD to get their supplies and paperwork filled out, which didn't seem all that important to Anna. There were far better things to do with their time than paperwork at a time like that. But she wasn't the boss. She just followed orders. They spend nearly the whole day doing paperwork and preparatory work before finally departing to go to the new Stark Tower.

On the way over in the company car, Coulson continued to talk about the situation to get Anna caught up. "I talked to Natasha last night," Phil told her. "She's on her way to talk to Dr. Banner, if she isn't already there doing so."

"Oh, that'll be _fun_ ," she chuckled.

"I don't see the humor," Phil pointed out.

"It's not funny ha-ha, more funny situational," Anna continued, her head starting against the window of the car. "She's the best, and the worst person to send in to get the Hulk. She's cautious, knows what to say and when to say it, but Banner's supposed to be super smart, right? He'll know what she's up to. He's going to make her paranoid; which Natasha already is."

"Okay, I see your point," Phil told her, parking the car outside the front of the building.

"So now what?" Anna asked.

"We have information that Mr. Stark's in New York, but he's not in the building right now. Witnesses saw him leave the building in the Iron Man suit about an hour or so ago," he informed her.

"So we're playing a waiting game?" Anna asked.

"Pretty much," Phil sighed, looking through the clear tablet on his lap as they waited.

Anna probably should've been looking over his shoulder, or looking on her own to familiarize herself with the material more, but instead of being a productive agent like her good ol' uncle Phil, she sighed and leaned her head against the window once more. She always enjoyed people watching. It helped that she could profile them, imagine what their live was like compared to her own. That was one of the reasons she loved undercover work. Being Anna always seemed a bit duller to her than being Yana, the lover to a Russian mobster, or Leta Kasper, a poor American scholarship student at an English Academy where poor American Scholarship students were being raped. Even Annie O'Connell was more amusing, even with the wrath of Tony Stark.

Anna looked up, her eyes tracing the radiant letters spelling out his surname on the front of the building. She had overheard Tony talking to Pepper one day about actually fully adopting her and asking her if she wanted the Stark name. She had a lot of mixed feelings about that then, but now she seemed to see more clearly.

She had felt that it would betray her parents' memory if she had, even though she was technically undercover as Annie O'Connell. Being undercover with Tony just seemed so real. It didn't seem like a dream, or a ploy like she did when she was anywhere else. She didn't want to betray them. They hadn't been the best parents, in fact, Phil was more of a father than her father really ever was, but that wasn't really the point. That point didn't really seem to matter to her all that much anymore. If Tony hadn't found out, and if he had asked her if she wanted that last name now, she would've taken it in a heartbeat.

She could've been a daughter to someone again. Someone that wanted a daughter for the sake of love, and not just because it was convenient for undercover missions. He could've helped her with her homework when she needed it, or she could've at least sat in the lab while he worked so neither of them was truly alone, even though they weren't talking. It was the presence that was important.

All of that meant giving up all of this, and Anna didn't know if she could do that. SHIELD was her life. _Literally_ her _life_. She had been doing it since she was born. Could she really figure out how to be a normal person? Not have secrets that could bring down the collapse of an entire origination? To not have ulterior motives? Wanting that and being able to do it were two very different things though. And Anna figured that she'd never truly know if it was possible for her unless she tried.

But that opportunity was no gone, and she didn't think there would be another opportunity like that for her. She there she was, an agent of SHIELD. And losing that normalcy had either scared her enough to not want to dry, or had just deterred her from trying altogether. Now she was just so focused on her work at SHIELD. That's all that mattered to her.

Anna sighed, her head bumping up against the glass as she peered out. Coming down the street, soaring through the sky was a light figure. They moved up, disappearing at the Stark building.

"Oh look," Anna muttered, looking out the window of the car. "There's Tony now…"

Phil looked up and and nodded. "Okay, come on," he said, getting out of the car.

The two entered into the building and went directly to the private elevator. Phil placed a device over the control panel and override the device to allow them to go up. He stepped in, dialing Tony's number as he went up.

"Mr. Stark, we need to talk," Phil said.

" _You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark. Please leave a message."_

"This is urgent," Phil pressed.

" _Then leave it urgently."_

Just as Tony said that, the doors of the private elevator opened, and Anna could see Tony and Pepper sitting on the floor in the indented couch area of the living area. The two agents stepped out, Phil hanging up his phone and Anna with her hands crossed across her chest. She looked so small and closed off right then.

"Security breach, that's on you," Tony said to Pepper.

"Mr. Stark," Phil greeted.

Anna figured it'd just be best for her to remain as silent as she could. She nodded towards both Tony and Pepper in greeting though. She didn't want to be rude and not acknowledge them at all.

"Phil! Come in," Pepper said, greeting the man with a smile, completely ignoring Anna. She got up and made her way over to him on bare feet.

 _I deserve that,_ she thought.

"Phil?" Tony gaped, following after Pepper like a lost puppy.

"I can't stay," Phil said, walking a bit closer.

"Uh, his first name is 'Agent,'" Tony pointed out.

"Come on in. We're celebrating," Pepper said.

"Which is why he can't stay. And especially not her," Tony said between clenched teeth and a fake smile.

"We need you to look this over as soon as possible," Phil said, holding out the data pad.

Anna leaned in closer to Phil and whispered, "He doesn't like being handed things."

"I don't like being handed things," Tony informed him, which got Phil to look at the girl next to him with a raised eyebrow.

"That's fine, because I love to be handed things," Pepper said, taking the data pad and exchanging it for the champagne flute. She then proceeded to take Tony's from his hand and replace it with the data pad. "So, let's trade. Thank you."

It took tony a record three seconds to figure out what his comeback would be for not working. "Official consulting hours are between eight and five every other Thursday," he said.

"This isn't a consultation," Phil clarified.

"Is this about the Avengers? Which, I know nothing about," Pepper asked, before shamelessly denying it.

Tony took the datapad apart and turned it on. "The avengers Initiative was scrapped, I thought," Tony said, making his way back to one of the tables or workbenches across the room. He glanced back over his shoulder and added, "And I didn't even qualify."

"I didn't know that either," Pepper added.

"Yeah, apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, don't play well with others," Tony yelled, finally across the room.

"That I did know," Pepper said, nodding her head.

"Everybody knows that…" Anna muttered, covering up her statement with a cough.

"This isn't about personality profiles anymore," Phil informed them.

"Whatever. Ms. Potts, got a sec?" Tony called.

Pepper held up a finger to indicate the symbol for one. "Half a mo…" she muttered before turning around and quickly making her way over to Tony.

Anna's phone vibrated in her pocket, and while the two people across the room conversed, read the text over. She turned to Phil and whispered so the others couldn't hear the sensitive matter. "Natasha just texted. She said Dr. Banner's coming in. They'll be meeting up on the Helicarrier tomorrow."

"Good," he answered, nodding his head.

"Phil…." Anna muttered crossing her arms over her chest, her brow knitting together in obvious concern. "How big do we really think this is going to get?" she asked. "New Mexico bad?"

Phil sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Worse," he answered.

Anna shook her head. "I don't like this," she stated, just to make it known.

"I know," Phil said, reaching over and squeezing her for a brief moment before letting it go. "Me either."

Just as the finished their little whispered conversation, Pepper walked back over and joined them. "So, any chance you're driving by LaGuardia?" she asked.

"We can drop you," Phil told her, leading her and Anna back to the elevator.

"Fantastic. Oh, I want to hear about the cellist. Is that still a thing?" Pepper asked.

 _Cellist? What cellist?_ Ann thought, glancing over at Phil through the corner of her eye. Phil normally told her everything, so why wasn't he telling her about this? Who was the cellist? What was the thing? The things was THE thing, right? A thing thing. Why wouldn't he tell her if there was an important thing thing in his life? He was her family, after all!

"She moved back to Portland," Phil informed her.

"What? Boo," Pepper said, getting into the elevator and hitting two different buttons. "Phil, do you mind if I have just a moment with Anna?" Pepper asked. "I promise it won't take long, she can come with me to get my shoes."

Phil was obviously hesitant. Anna hadn't been along with Pepper, hadn't even spoken to her since before she got kicked out of Tony's home. He knew that whatever she was about to say either had to do with one of two things: with what happened with Tony or the impending danger that was coming.

Glancing at Anna to see her nod her head, he turned back to Pepper and nodded himself. "Sure, I'll meet you two back at the car."

The walk off the elevator to her things wasn't very far. They got off the elevator to Pepper's office. She grabbed the suitcase there, as well as slipping her shoes on. The whole time they were on that floor alone, Pepper, not once, said a single thing. It wasn't until the two were awkwardly standing in the elevator making their way back down to the lobby that Pepper spoke.

Not even turning to Anna to look at her as she opened her mouth, she said, "You know, Tony's a very proud man."

Anna turned to look at Pepper as she spoke, the breaking of the silence surprised her. It really shouldn't have surprised her, after all, Pepper had just asked to speak to her. Maybe it was really just the surprise to have her talking to her. After all, Pepper never made an effort to reach out before this.

"I know that," Anna answered, nodding her head.

"And there have only ever really been two relationships in Tony's like where he's willingly assumed a lower status," Pepper said. "With me, asking me to run the company for him, giving me more power in his company than he has, his girlfriend."

Anna could see that. Tony didn't have many friends, and even the ones he did have, he didn't completely and utterly hold them higher than himself. His best friend was Rhodey, and he respected him, as he should, but Rhodey's relationship with Tony was nothing like the relationship Tony had with Pepper.

But then again, Pepper has just said two people, so that either had to be one of three people, and one of those wasn't even technically a person. It was either Jarvis, Rhodey, or Happy Hogan. Anna would assume it was Rhodey, but she honestly didn't know at this point.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. The strawberry blonde took three steps out before turning on her heels to finally look at Anna. "The other was you," Pepper she said. "Just something to think about."

The woman turned away, not even waiting to hear a reply, or to see the devastated, pained expression crossed the teenager's face.

* * *

 **I'm soooo excited for you guys to let me know what you think. I've waited so long for the movie to start, so I just couldn't wait to post this chapter until next week. I hope you guys appreciate that lol. I've gotten through chapter 27 done, and most of 28 is done too. And I want everybody to let me know what they think about the fight with Pepper. You guys soooo have to let me know what you think is going to happen! Anyway, please review!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- I'm not telling! But I love hearing your ideas. you won't find out for a while, not until the next installment/equal to this story. This story really just sets up for the next part. I know, every elaborate and detailed setup.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-** _ You know, that sounds super tasty. I'm sorry to hear that someone got hurt though. I hope everything is alright! Anyway, yeah, there'll be a couple more scenes that have the whole, "how does he know this stuff" with Steve until its all figured out, which won't be until the next part/sequal, but I think everybody will enjoy. That part comes after Thor 2.

 _ **TheLightningDreamer** _ \- Another Anna? Nah, there's only one Anna. The world can only handle one of her. lol But yeah, it is a Bucky romance, but if its in Cap 1 or Cap2 and on? Hm, who knows?


	21. Reunions

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Agents of SHIELD, Avengers, etc. I just own Anna and Clark.**

* * *

Chapter 20  
Reunions

Instead of wearing a suit, Anna put on the deep blue, skin tight SHIELD uniform she rarely wore. She found, more often than not, that she would wear her suits more than anything. After all, most of the work they were doing wasn't exactly all too dangerous. It was far more professional and appropriate to be decked out in a suit. Plus, her usual work was done with Phil, so if she wore a suit that could match (to which she'd tease him and annoy him, in a good way).

Phil, whoever, was in his usual attire: his suit. Captain Rogers was sitting across from her, looking over all of the material on the data pad Phil had handed to him upon arrival to the quinjet that morning.

To say there was no rest that night was an understatement. There was so much work to be done and so little time that Anna thought they wouldn't have enough time to save the world, so she pushed herself harder and faster than she had ever done before. It was that Saturday that Anna, Phil, and Captain Rogers found themselves on their way to the Helicarrier, being flown in a quinjet by a couple of SHIELD pilots.

For the most part, the ride was pretty quiet. There were some words exchanged between Phil and the pilots, but that was about it. Anna was awkwardly lost in thought, but sitting in one of the seats in the back, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees. It wasn't just because of the impending doom either. One thing from the night before was really bothering her.

The Cellist.

Yes, the Cellist. The woman that her Uncle, Philip Coulson, had completely forgotten to tell her about. The one person he always told everything he could (excluding higher level classified material that he couldn't because of protocol) to. So when he kept this from her, this important person, it really stung.

"You okay, Agent Carr?" Phil asked, looking over to her.

Anna nodded, not once looking up at him. Her intertwined her fingers together, clasping them tightly to try and take out her frustration there instead of bringing it out into the open. This wasn't the time or place for that. There were far more important things to attend to, like the stolen Asgardian box that glowed blue. Or the Asgardian that was threatening their world after stealing that damn cube.

Phil sighed and sat down next to her. "Okay, what's up?"

Anna sighed and finally looked up at Phil with her gray eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about the Cellist?" she questioned.

Phil sighed and sat back. "I had a feeling that's what this was about," he said.

"So," Anna muttered. "Is there a reason you didn't tell me about her?"

Looking down at the floor, Phil shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I met her on a job. We were protecting her from an enhanced person. His name was Marcus Daniels, and he could manipulate what's called darkforce."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me about her," Anna pressed. "I mean, we tell eachother everything."

Phil shook his head. "I really don't know. Maybe its because I always tell you not to get attached and what did I go and do? I got attached and I couldn't let it go. We've been seeing each other for a little while now. Then again, maybe I didn't want to tell you because if I did, I think that really makes it real, and I don't know, there isn't a whole lot of stability in our line of work. And I really want to make this work."

"There's nothing wrong with any of that," Anna said, placing a gentle hand on his arm. She felt a whole lot better now knowing that he didn't hide it from her because he didn't want to tell her. "You're human, Phil. Not a robot. You're entitled to have feelings. To have a life outside of the Agency."

"I still should've told you," he told her. "You're honestly like the daughter I never had, Anna, so I'm sorry. First chance I get, I'll bring it up to her and see if we can arrange a meeting."

"I'd like that," Anna said, smiling softly at him. "After all, any girl that catches your attention has to be special," she lightly teased, bumping her shoulder against his.

"Her name's Audrey Nathan," he told her. "And she is. You'll see that."

"I'm sure I will," Anna said before clearing her throat. "Okay, we should probably get back to work and focus now. Enough emotional crap."

Phil smirked and stood up. He moved back up to the pilots and leaned by the computer. "ETA?" he asked.

"We're about forty minutes out from home base, Sir," one of the pilots said from the cockpit to Phil.

Phil got up from his computer and walked over to Steve, catching Anna's attention. He stopped when the blond man sitting across from her spoke up, the man's hero.

"So, this Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?" Steve asked, looking up at the man.

"A lot of people were," Phil answered. "You were the world's first super-hero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine original formula."

"Didn't really go his way, did it?" Steve asked, watching a video of the Hulk in action.

"Not so much," Phil replied. "When he's not that thing though, the guys like a Stephen Hawking." Steve looked up at him, confusion written all over his face. "He's like a smart person."

"He's made a whole lot of advances in science," Anna added, standing up from her seat to stretch her legs.

Phil decided to change the subject tos something lighter, though a bit awkward and embarrassing and said, "I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you, officially." That got a small smile from Steve. However, he continued, "I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping." Steve looked down awkwardly. He didn't know how to take that. "I mean, I was. I was present while you were unconscious from the ice." Steve got up and walked up to the cockpit to look out the window.

Anna couldn't hold back her laughter. "Little too much," Anna told Phil.

He glared at her before moving up to the front with him. Anna stood a step back from them, but in the center of the two. "You know, it's really, it's just a, just a huge honor to have you on board."

"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job," Steve said, not taking his eyes away from the window.

"Oh, you are," Phil said. "Absolutely. Um, we made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input."

"The uniform?" Steve asked. "Aren't the stars and stripes a little old fashioned?" They could all hear that pause before he said "old fashioned." She knew he was feeling out of place and that he wouldn't be able to do the job because he wasn't from their time. However, she really didn't have any doubts about him.

"Everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to the light, people might just need a little old fashioned," Steve said.

Anna placed a comforting hand on Steve's arm. "Its always good to be reminded of one's roots," Anna told him. "And like I said, you give people hope. Even without trying. Just be you and you'll be okay."

Rogers nodded his head and looked right at her. "Thanks, Anna."

"Sir, ETA is now five minutes," one of the pilots said.

"Thank you," Phil said.

* * *

Phil, Steve and Anna exited the aircraft and onto the tarmac of the helicarrier. They left their bags on the plane and someone was going to bring them to their rooms later on. Anna was honestly over the moon excited to finally see the helicarrier. She just couldn't wait to get up in the air. As she looked around, her attention was pulled to the short red haired woman walking over to them. She was wearing a simple leather jacket, red shirt, and jeans with her gun strapped around her waist.

Anna smirked, nodding her head towards the other woman. "Nat," Anna greeted.

"Anna," Nat said, with a similar smirk on her lips, nodding her head back.

Nat and Anna had always gotten along swimmingly, which was a little weird. They had just seemed to click right away upon their first meeting. Nat claimed it was because Anna reminded her of herself when she was younger, though not many people actually knew what that meant, including Anna herself.

"Agent Romanoff," Phil greeted. "Meet Captain Rogers."

"Ma'am," Steve greeted.

"Hi," she said to him before turning her attention to Phil. "They need you on the bridge. They're starting at the face trace."

"See you there," Phil said to Steve, Natasha and Anna.

Tasha led the two away from the plane. "It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice," she said, making conversation. "Thought Coulson was going to swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?"

"Not yet," Anna answered.

"Trading cards?" Steve asked.

"They're vintage," she said. "He's very proud."

"They are kind of cool looking," Anna said, getting strange looks from both of the other people in her party. "What?" she asked. "They are!"

"Sometimes I forget you're only a teenager," Tasha said, ruffling the brunette girl's hair, causing her to swat her hand away.

"Dr. Banner!" Steve called over to a man in a purple button down shirt, gray pants and a gray suit jacket.

"Oh, yeah, hi," Bruce Banner said, shaking Steve's hand. "They told me you'd be coming."

"Word is you can find the cube," Steve said.

"Is that the only word?" Banner asked, looking about nervously. He seemed rather fidgety.

"Only word I care about," Steve said.

"Must be strange for you, all of this," he said, referring to all of the military tech around them.

"Well, this is actually kind of familiar," Steve said.

It was then that Bruce noticed the youngest member of their party. "I'm sorry," he said, putting out his hand, "I'm Bruce Banner."

Anna smiled softly, welcomingly and placed her hand in his. "Agent Carr," she said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor."

"Likewise," he said.

"I'm actually gonna split from here. I have to discuss something with Director Fury," Anna said, turning to Nat. "You got this covered, right?"

"Of course," she answered, nodding to the teen.

"I'll see you guys later," Anna told the others, smiling at them softly.

"Oh, Anna?" Nat called after her.

"Yeah?" Anna said, turning back around to look at the redhead.

Nat nodded her head up in the direction of the main control room. "Clark's up there," she informed the brunette.

"Wait, really?" Anna gaped. "Clark's here?"

"Yes," Nat answered. "He got called in."

Anna smiled and turned to run up to the command center. It honestly didn't take as long to get up to the large room with floor to ceiling windows as Anna would've thought it would, which greatly relieved the girl.

"Director," Anna greeted once in there.

"Agent Carr, good to see you're here. I take it the others are on their way up," he said.

"Yes sir," she answered respectfully. "They're on their way up now, but before they get here, could I…discuss something with you?"

"Make it quick, Agent Carr," Fury said, glancing at Anna.

"I know you want Captain Rogers in on this, he wouldn't be here if you didn't," Anna said. "But, I'm not exactly sure he's entirely ready yet."

"Where is this coming from?" Fury asked.

Anna didn't really want to admit it. "Because of his PTSD? He's barely had any time to process any of this, or integrate into society. He's been on his own for the most part of his time here. I don't think he's ready to just jump in head first into a battle he knows nothing about."

"I hear your concern, Agent Carr," Fury said. "And if this was a perfect world, he'd have that time, but it isn't, and we need him now."

Anna nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Yes, sir," she said.

"Good work though, Agent Carr," he told her, giving her a pointed look. "Is there something else you want, Agent?"

Again, the teen nodded. "Agent Carr is here?" she asked hopeful.

"Yes, Clark is here," he informed her, just as Steve, Natasha, and Dr. Banner walked in. "You are authorized to go meet him in just a bit. In the meantime, why don't you take a seat?"

"Yes, Sir," Anna said, taking a seat in a chair at the large conference table. _So this is what our tax dollars go towards_ , Anna thought, swiveling back and forth for a moment. _Nice, comfortable meeting chairs_. She sat back and watched everyone around her work as Fury spout out orders. From what she heard, they were going to take off.

She would admit that she was thoroughly in shock when they actually did lift off out of the water. Anna sat there, a small smile on her face as she observed everybody working together for the liftoff. Her smile only broadened upon the camouflage mode, and they were virtually undetectable by the naked eye.

Fury turned around and said, "Gentlemen." Steve walked up to him and pulled out his wallet as he looked around at everything in complete awe. He handed him some money, much to everybody's confusion and then continued on looking around. Anna pretty much ignored Fury as he went over to speak with Dr. Banner though. It wasn't her place to eavesdrop.

It wasn't until Phil spoke from the platform below her that she started to pay attention again. "We're sweeping every wireless accessible camera on the planet," Phil said. "Cell phones, laptops, if it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

"It's still not going to find them in time," Natasha said, who was bent down looking at one of the computer screens.

"You have to narrow your field," Banner said. "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?" Fury asked.

Call every lab you know," he started to advise. "Tell them to put spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on basic cluster recognition. At least we can rule out a few places." He started to take off his jacket and roll up his sleeves. "Do you have somewhere I can work?"

"Agent Romanoff, could you show Dr. banner to his laboratory, please?" Fury asked, though it was obviously really an order.

"You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys," Nat informed him, leading him out of the room.

Steve stepped up and stood next to Anna, hands buried deep in her pockets. "Did you happen to understand any of that?" he asked the girl.

Anna laughed and nodded her head. "Part of it," she answered. "I understood the first part about the phones and laptops and whatnot, but I honestly couldn't tell you how to do it. The rest of it went completely over my head."

Steve huffed, a small smile gracing his lips. "Well, at least I'm not the only one…" he muttered.

"Yeah, these SciTech and Communications guys are something else," she said. "Those are the two other branches of SHIELD. I'm in Spec Ops."

Steve nodded his head. "It's what I'm best at. In the field, stop whatever's happening from happen."

"You and me both, Captain," Anna said.

"You can, uh, call me Steve, Anna," he offered.

"You sure?" Anna asked. "I don't want to overstep."

Steve shook his head. "No, I'd prefer it if you did," he informed her.

"Well, if you insist," Anna said, nodding to the man, her smile never leaving her lips.

"Agent Carr," Fury said, pulling the two individuals attentions his way. "He's in his room. C312."

Anna shot up from her seat in excitement, but she pushed in her chair and calmly nodded before leaving the room. It wasn't until she was out of site that the good bolted it towards the rooms.

* * *

The rooms were small and shared, which wasn't all that surprising on the Helicarrier with how many people were staying there. Anna picked the lock on Clark's door and went right in. The other half of his room was unoccupied, which made Anna wonder how lucky Clark managed to make out. He managed to snag his own room on a ship with other a thousand people occupying it.

Anna took up the desk chair, placing her feet up on top of the desk and leaned backwards onto the back two legs of the chair. She held her Asgardian research on her lap, her eyes skimming over the words page after page as she waited for Clark to get back from wherever he was.

It took about half an hour for him to return, and when he got back, he almost made it all the way to his bed before realizing there was a brunette sitting at his desk chair watching him with a raised brow.

"You're losing your touch, Clark," Anna muttered, smirking up at him.

"Anna?" he gaped, blue eyes wide before his smile grew on his face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Anna put all four legs of the chair back on the floor and placed her own feet down. She stood up and stretched. "Oh, you know, the end of the world kinda makes one need to go to work to try and prevent it," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders which made her hair fall off of her shoulders.

"Yeah, that's why they pulled me out of my cover," he said, walking up to her.

Anna wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, burying her face in his chest. "God, I've missed you, Clark," she told him. "It's been too long."

"Yeah," he agreed, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much."

"It's okay," Anna said. "I haven't been around all that much either so it wouldn't have made all that much of a difference if you had."

Clark nodded and let her go, flopping down onto the bed on his back. "Fury mentioned you've been rather busy," he said. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know, undercover work as Tony Stark's ward, Captain America's personal chauffeur, the whole flattening of a town in New Mexico, the usual," Anna muttered nonchalantly.

Clark sat up, giving Anna a blank stare. "Damn, munchkin. You really _have_ been busy!"

"I take it you can't talk about your job," Anna speculated.

"Yeah, that's right," he answered, nodding his head. "What was Captain America like?" he asked. "No, Tony Stark! Is he really as big of a dick as he's made out to be?"

"Well, Steve's here, so you can go meet him and make your own conclusions," Anna said. "As for Tony….It's complicated…"

"Well, uncomplicated it," he pressed.

"We got along really well once I'd been undercover for a while, then he found out and things haven't been good, obviously. So that's really about it…."

"That didn't actually answer my questions, Anna," he muttered, studying her. "What happened?"

"I like Tony," Anna said. "I liked being there, and I liked being Annie. Now all I get are glares and rude comments from the guy. Which, honestly, I deserve, but he'd not even giving me a chance to explain myself, or even redeem my actions. I guess I'd probably do the same thing though…"

"No, you wouldn't," he corrected her. "That's not who you are. You'd give anybody a second chance because you believe people can always change. Your actions have always screamed that, to some extent, people can change, be it for the better or otherwise. You allow them to grow," Clark explained.

"That's not what our job is though," Anna said. "We're supposed to help people. To protect them."

"How about protecting them from themselves?" Clark offered.

Anna just shrugged. She didn't know what to say, and she really didn't like this conversation. "Why don't we go get some dinner? I hear they have decent mac n' cheese."

* * *

Anna found herself back in the same seat she had been in when the Helicarrier had taken off. She was leaning back, her knees pulled up so her shins were pressed against the edge of the table. Anna had a habit of always needing to sit with her knees bent up, or under her. There wasn't really all the much Anna could do. The whole tech aspects of this was definitely not her forte. If she tried to help, she'd most likely just end up getting in the way.

So she settled on sitting in that chair, reading an old book on Norse Mythology. Her attention was pulled up and away from the pages of her book when she hear Phil awkwardly asking Steve to sign his Captain America trading cards.

Phil cleared his throat and stood up a little straighter as he asked, "Would you, uh, sign my trading cards? I mean, if it's not too much trouble."

"No, no, it's fine," Steve replied.

There was an awkward pause for a moment before Phil added, "It's a vintage set. Took me a couple years to collect them all." Another awkward pause. "You're mint, slight boxing around the edges-"

"We've got a bit," Sitwell piped up from his spot at the computer. "Sixty-seven percent match…wait, crossmatch, seventy-nine percent."

Phil walked over to take a look and asked, "Stuttgart, Germany," the man replied. The man continued on to give the exact address that Loki was at, but Bucky's attention was pulled away from them and to Fury as he ordered Steve.

"Captain," Fury said. "You're up." Steve took in a deep breath and gave a slight nod of his head.

* * *

 **So we finally get to meet Anna's brother Clark! I hope you guys liked him, and their interactions together. I really love Clark. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Kinda mellow. Let me know what you think.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **19irene96**_ \- I hope you liked the chapter.

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- Yes, yes you can! I know. I get so frustrated writing it all too, because obviously I'm putting myself in everybody's shoes to write them, and so I get how hurt Anna is, and how much she wants to redeem herself. And i get how betrayed Tony and Pepper feel, so I'm so torn with all the characters. It's so much fun though.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ Wow, that's a hole lot of bad stuff. At least it's nothing too bad. I know how it feels when EVERYTHING goes wrong at once too, so if you need anything, don't be afraid to hit me up a pm if you need to talk!

 _ **Lucifer's711**_ \- I understand how you feel? Do you know how many times I've cried writing this story! Too many!

 _ **WriterGirl1198**_ \- Oh, and trust me, there will be so many more feels from here on out. You'll hate me for it.


	22. Before the Storm

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Avengers, Agents of SHIELD, etc. I just own Anna and her family.**

* * *

Chapter 21  
Before the Storm

The waiting game was a bit too much for Anna to take at the moment. She was generally a really patient person, but there was something about not being near the action and knowing it was going on that was completely different. Since there was really no need for Anna to go retrieve Loki in Germany, she wasn't going. After all, what was she supposed to do?

So, after watching Natasha and Steve leave for their mission, Anna was left to entertain herself. Reading the myths was starting to give Anna a headache, so the teen left the comfort of her brother's room to go grab a cup of crappy coffee. She didn't just grab one though. With a cup in each hand, Anna made her way through the never ending hallways towards Dr. Banner's lab.

The man had been working so hard and nonstop since his arrival that day, Anna thought the man deserved at the very least a cup of coffee for all his work. So Anna stepped in slowly, so not to startle the man. She did have remarkably soft footsteps, after all. She could make almost anybody jump.

The man was standing in front of one of the glass transparent monitors typing away at the keyboard he had brought up. His buttoned shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, the bottom tucked into his gray pants. His hair was graying, making him look older than he was.

"Hello, Dr. Banner," Anna greeted, stopping just as she entered the room. She didn't want to intrude if she wasn't welcome, or if he was too preoccupied. "I thought you could use something to drink," she offered, holding out one of the cups.

Banner raised his brows and turned around, his eyes landing on the cup. "Oh, uh, thank you," he said, making his way over to the teenager. "It was Agent Carr, correct?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, smiling softly. "I hope you're finding everything okay here," she said. "I know this isn't exactly the best of impressions for us to make, but our hands were really forced in the matter. I hope you don't think too low of our agency here."

"I'm not exactly sure what to think," Bruce said, studying the girl as he moved to lean back against one of the work benched. "I mean, can you really trust an organization like this? But then I meet some of the agents, and I'm not sure if they're genuinely good or if they're just pretending to be."

"Are you talking about me?" she asked, smirking.

"Perhaps," he answered.

"I find being pleasant towards other easier then just being angry at everything and everyone," Anna said. "Though I guess that's kind of the opposite of what I'm supposed to be, right? I'm supposed to be an angsty teenager rebelling against the world?" Anna started to justify.

Bruce nodded his head. "Okay, I'll give you that. I do like you, so I guess there's that," he said with a smirk, taking a sip of his coffee. "But what I really mean to say is: what kind of morals does a group like this have if they put the life of a child, er, teenager like you, in danger?"

"I understand your concern," Anna said. "And in an ideal world there wouldn't be a need for me to be out there doing what I do. But it isn't perfect, and there is a need. I just like to think that by doing my work, by risking what I do, I make the world a better place for other people my age and younger. So they don't have to see the things I do, or do what I've done."

Banner smiled softly and chuckled. "You know, at your age, most teenagers have no clue what they want to do when they grow up, let alone believe in all of what you just said."

Anna just smiled and laughed. "I guess you can say I'm not like most teenagers then."

* * *

Anna had been ordered to report to the command center after hearing that Captain Rogers and Natasha had ran into, not only Tony, but Thor on their little outing to get Loki. She took up her favorite seat and sat there tapping her thumb against the glass top table waiting for everybody to arrive so they could watch the interrogation together.

Finally, when Nat and Steve got there, Steve taking the seat next to her, she asked, "I hope Thor didn't give you too much trouble? The guy's an ally, but he does have a pretty mean swing…"

Steve just shook his head and smiled tiredly at her. "Everything's taken care of now."

Anna turned her head in the opposite direction to Nat, who was sitting on the edge of the table with her forearms pressed to the top of the table. "No sign of Clint yet?" she asked, worry dripping from her tone.

"No, not yet," Nat answered.

The screens built into the table flashed on, and there was Director Fury standing in front of Loki, in the detainment chamber that had been designed for the unleashed Hulk.

" _In case it's unclear, if you try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass." Fury pressed a button on the panel he was at and the metal iris panels around the chamber, "it's a thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" He motioned to the cage and then the machine as he said, "Ant, boot."_

 _Loki laughed. "It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me," Loki deduced._

 _"Built for something a lot stronger than you," Fury admitted._

 _"Oh, I've heard," Loki said, looked at the security camera. It seemed as if he was looking right at them. That gave Anna the creeps. "The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"_

 _"How desperate am I?" Fury asked angrily. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."_

 _"Oh, it burns you to have come so close," Loki said. "It have the Tesseract, to have power,_ unlimited _power. And for what?" He looked at the camera once again, giving Anna the gut feeling that what he was saying was important in some way or another. "A warm light for all mankind to share." He looked back at Fury and continued, "And then to be reminded what real power is."_

 _Fury just turned and started to walk away as he said, "Well, let me know if "real power" wants a magazine or something."_

The feed was broken off as Loki looked up at the camera. He knew they were all watching it. It was weird how he knew such things and Anna didn't like it. How him and Thor were brothers and raised by the same parents was completely and utterly beyond her.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner said sarcastically, to which Anna scoffed, though hiding it behind a poorly faked cough.

"Loki's going to drag this out," Steve said, getting straight down to business. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

Without looking at any of them, he started to say, "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known." He turned to look at them as he continued. "He means to lead them against you people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army," Steve said in disbelief, "from outer space."

"You're having the same reaction I had when I found out that Thor was an alien," Anna informed him to try and make him feel a little bit better about how he was feeling.

"So he's building another portal," Banner figured out. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor asked.

"He's an astrophysicist," Bruce informed him.

"He's a friend," Thor informed them.

"We recruited him after our meeting in New Mexico," Anna told him. "He was working in one of our facilities when he was taken."

"Loki has him under some sort of spell," Natasha told Thor. "Along with one of ours."

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here," Steve said.

"I thought you guys took him down to bring him in," Anna thought outloud.

"We did, but something doesn't feel right about it," Steve answered.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," Banner said. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him."

"Have a care how you speak!" Thor scolded. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard and he is my brother!"

"He killed eighty people in two days," Natasha informed him.

Thor hesitated before saying, "He's adopted."

"I think it's about the mechanics," Banner said. "Iridium, what do they need the iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony said as he walked into the room with Phil. He muttered something to Phil that Anna couldn't quite hear. "Means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD." He walked over to them and as he passed Thor, he patted him on the arm with the back of his hand and said, "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing."

He continued walking to where Fury usually stood, the controls and said, "Also means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants." He looked at the control monitors to his right and then the ones on his left. He muttered something incoherently that got the attention of some of the agents near him before yelling out, "The man is play galaga! Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."

He covered one of his eyes and looked oddly at the monitors to his left. "How does Fury even see these?"

Agent Maria Hill, glared at Tony but still answered his question by saying, "He turns."

"Sounds exhausting," Tony stated. He started to look at the content on the machines as he continued to speak. "The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. Something to kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill asked.

"Last night," Stark retorted. "The packet, Selvig's notes. The extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?" He made his way back up to where they were standing.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked.

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Banner explained.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," Tony said.

"Well, if he could do that, he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet," Bruce stated.

"Finally! Someone speaks English!" Tony said, sounding rather relieved.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked.

"Absolutely not," Anna answered.

Bruce and Stark both shook hands. "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of how you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Banner looked rather uncomfortable with the last part. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube," Fury said, joining the group as well. "I was hoping you might join him."

"I'd start with that stick of his," Steve said. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube and I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest minds I know into his personal flying monkeys," Fury said.

"Monkeys, I do not understand," Thor stated.

"I do!" Steve yelled. "I understood that reference."

Anna smirked. The comment was so innocent, it took everything inside Anna to not gush right then and there.

"Shall we play, Doctor?" Tony asked to the fellow genius next to him.

"This way, Sir," Bruce said, leading Tony away and to the lab.

Anna got up and walked over to Phil, who was standing just off to the left, his arms wrapped around his clipboard. "So, this is turning into a really interesting couple of days," Anna muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're telling me," he agreed.

"What was Tony talking to you about when you guys walked in?" she asked, just making conversation.

"He offered to pay for a weekend trip to Portland for me to see Audrey," Phil answered. "I think he's just a bit jealous Pepper and I check in with each other ever once in awhile."

"Of course he's jealous," Anna muttered. "Hey, did Steve sign your cards yet?"

"No, not yet," he answered. "We've been a little busy,"

"I went and bought coffee to Dr. Banner earlier," Anna told him.

"Really? How'd that go?" Phil asked.

Anna shrugged. "Well, I guess? He was nice. A little frustrated because of the overall situation, but I don't think he hates my guts or anything, not like Tony."

"Tony doesn't hate you," Phil protested.

"Sure acts like he does," Anna pressed.

"Tony's a defensive person to begin with," Phil explained. "He's just excessively so now because he's hurt. He let his guard down with you and he got hurt, so now he's closing himself off."

Anna sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're right."

"It's going to take time," Phil said. "If you really want to make things right, I'm sure you can. You're just going to need to be patient."

"Agent Carr," Fury said, pulling Anna's attention away from Coulson. "I want you to stand guard inside the Detention Area. Make sure only authorized personnel go in," Fury ordered. "On your way down though, stop in with Stark and make sure he knows to behave himself."

 _Oh great,_ Anna though. _I had been hoping to avoid one-on-one time with Tony._ "Of course, Director." Anna turned back to Phil and said, "I'll see you later." And headed out.

It took Anna a good several minutes to make her way back to the lab Dr. Banner was set up in. Once she got there, she slipped in again, standing in the same spot out of the way she had occupied a little while ago.

At first, Anna was virtually undetected. It wasn't until Tony turned around to see her standing there that he make her presence and his thoughts known.

"What are you doing here?" he ordered, turning his back to her again.

"They're my orders. I'm just following them," Anna answered simply and evenly with an emotionless expression.

"Do you always follow your orders?" Tony questioned, not once turning back to look at her as he went about his work. Bruce just looked up, watching the exchange with a furrowed brow.

"Yes," Anna answered.

"Of course you do," Tony scoffed before angrily spinning around to face her. "If you were ordered to shoot me, would you do it?"

Anna bit the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath to try and calm herself, but her comment still slipped out, "I'm really tempted to right now…." She was just so tired of people bashing her.

"Then I order you to leave the lab. You're distracting," Tony said, turning back around.

Anna just rolled her eyes. "I don't take orders from you."

"No, of course you don't. You never listened to me when you lived with me" he muttered.

"Wait, you two…." Bruce muttered, looking between the two. "I take it there's a backstory here…"

Both parties ignored the good Doc though. "Oh, that's not true and you know it," Anna shot back.

"No, it isn't, and I don't know it," Tony protested childishly.

"Director Fury wanted me to remind you to behave yourself," Anna told him, moving away towards the door. "We all have a job to do, Mr. Stark, and we really can't afford to be distracted by anything."

Before Tony retort, Anna walked out and headed down to the Detainment chamber.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Bruce asked Tony, glancing up hesitantly as they continued on with their work.

"Just putting a traitor in their place," Tony answered, not looking up.

"Agents Carr's a traitor?" Bruce asked. "I talked to her earlier and that was the last thing I got from her."

"SHIELD had her spying on me right under my nose," he muttered. "They did it with Agent Romanoff too."

Bruce held back the comment about letting it happen twice by the same people.

The sliding door opened and a male agent in his early twenties entered, his hands holding several files. He was taller than both of them, standing at about six feet tall. His blue eyes glanced around the room cautiously, as if instinctively done. He honestly looked like one of their muscle goons. When his eyes landed on Tony, he walked over and held out his hand.

"Mr. Stark?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," Tony muttered, narrowing his eyes as he hesitantly took the guy's hand. "Who are you?"

"My name's Clark," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the counter. "I was wondering if I could bring something up to your attention."

"Can you make it quick? I'm kinda busy here," Tony said, turning back to the screen in front of him.

"Of course," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you really understood what makes SHIELD strong and the best for protecting people," he said, confusing Tony.

Tony glanced up at him to see where he was going with this. It was kind of a weird thing to bring up out of the blue, after all.

"Ideally, there's two way to interpret the reasoning for the formation of SHIELD. The first is a lot like Agent Coulson: the guy that will do anything to protect everybody, because that's what we do. We protect people even if they don't necessarily deserve to be protected. I fall a bit closer to that demographic," Clark said.

"The other still has all of those beliefs, but it's a lot more unrealistically optimistic. To do anything and everything in their power to not only protect everybody, but to also make sure they're as happy and content as humanly possible. You see, Anna's one of those people. She goes above and beyond her call of duty because she's a genuinely good person. All she want to do is make the world a better place, and more times than not, that doesn't just apply to the world in general. She want to make individual worlds better too."

Tony narrowed his eyes, taking in every single word the man was saying. At first, Tony wasn't exactly sure where Clark was going with this. That was until he mentioned the second part and Anna's name.

"What I'm trying to say is that I want you to know that when Anna was working under you, she was only assigned to be there and keep an eye on you. She reported in as ordered, but that was all. Her _personal_ mission was to give you exactly what you needed to help you move forward. She gave you a family, she made you happy. All because she makes it her personal mission to do so, without even realizing it most of the time. So I would appreciate it if you would stop berating my little sister, Mr. Stark."

Clark stepped back and nodded towards Bruce. "Have a good evening, Gentlemen."

Clark Carr walked out smoothly, as if he owned the joint. He wore a triumphant smirk on his lips as he accomplished his mission: protecting his sister.

* * *

 **Aww, Clark is so cute and protective. I loved writing this scene, and have actually had Clark's rant written since the very beginning of the story. Anyway, I'd really love to hear what you guys think is going to happen next. Please leave a review and let me know!**

 **And sorry this one was a little late. Finals were this week and I have 6 of them. Blah, anyway, here it is!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Lucifer's711**_ \- I couldn't possibly tell you that because that'd be spoilers. You can be certain that I'll follow everything that happens to the characters in terms of who lives and who dies, at least the ones that I don't own. ;) Can't promise anything for the OCs like Anna and Clark.

 ** _FG007_** \- Yeah, that's why when I get in the mood to write, I do so much of it that I end up having enough chapters for weeks. It's why I only try to update once a week just in case that happens. I currently have through chapter 29 written, and am working on 30. The hints won't come for a while, but I'm always open to giving little snippets of what I've already written as a teaser. lol

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- I love Clark, and yeah, I do partially love the name just because of Superman/Smallville, etc. I can't tell you anything about Phil's death, but it'll be in the next chapter, and if not that, the one after it. But you'll see soon enough. And Yeah, I've been neglecting Jamie, haven't I? I've got writers block, I suppose. I know what I want to happen, but not how to put it on the paper yet...


	23. Darkness

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Avengers, Agents of SHIELD, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 22  
Darkness

The silence was greatly appreciated. At home, Anna detested the silence, stated previously for many reasons. Anywhere else while she was suffering from a massive headache? Greatly welcomed. Anna stood next to the large closed door inside the detainment area, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched Loki pace back and forth.

Loki. He was tall, standing at 6'2" with long black hair with more layers in it than Anna had, and slicked back with more grease or product like substance than Tony would use in a week. The unnaturally blue eyes in his head were staring at her no matter where he walked inside the cylindrical shaped containment chamber. He was looking at her as if she were some complex puzzle to solve. Or, one he had already figured out and was toying with the method to play with her.

Finally, after what seemed like ages pacing, Loki walked to the glass spot closest to where Anna was standing, directly in front of the woman, though give or take five feet or so for the width of the walkway around the containment unit.

"There is something on your mind you wish to make known," Loki stated, his voice smooth and easy to listen to. "Please, by all means, entertain me with your meaningless thoughts, Child."

His accent wasn't exactly what she would have expected, though really thinking back on it, Thor's wasn't one you'd expect from Norse legend either. That wasn't to say they weren't lovely to listen to, and they both had ever so slightly different rings to words they spoke. Pleasant, all the same. Which, of course, made Anna feel a little disgusted with herself.

Anna rolled her eyes at the constant use of the word "child" the last couple of days, but she did ignore it. She didn't move forward as she addressed the Asgardian, and though she knew she was probably breaking so many rules by doing so, she went ahead anyway and spoke what was on her mind.

"You tried to kill your brother," Anna stated obviously. "I don't understand what could possibly drive you to do such a thing. Sure, a relationship is never going to be smooth and constantly strong. Every relationship had it's ups and downs, but how could you possibly want to rid your brother from your life completely? You're family."

"He is not my brother," Loki informed her, glaring.

"Oh, but he is," Anna pressed, pushing off the wall to step closer to his cage. "He's your brother, whether you like it or not."

"Biologically we are not related in the slightest," Loki pressed. "So don't you dare insist on such an incorrect statement. You don't know what you speak of, Child."

"You two were raised by two individuals that love you," Anna said. "You grew up together. Played together. Fought together. Confided in one another. _Loved_ one another. I believe that makes you brothers."

"I hate that imbecile!" Loki snapped.

Anna sighed, running her hand through her long brown hair, though her action didn't stop it from falling right back into the place it had been before she had done so. "You know what I think? The opposite of love isn't hate. It's indifference. Love and hate are both united by passion. So when you say you hate Thor, it has to mean that, in your heart you still _love_ him."

"I would've been better off never having Thor in my life!" Loki snapped, smashing his fist against the glass. "Do you know what it's like living in the constant shadow of a man such a he?"

Anna smiled softly. "I do, actually," she answered. "Every day I come into work to make a difference, to do what's right and protect people. It's what I was born to do. But what does pretty much everybody else around me see?" Anna asked, stepping one foot closer to the glass. "They see a small little girl trying to be exactly like her big brother. I'm Little Carr. Baby Carr. They never take me seriously. They just think I got to where I am today because of my brother.

"So yes, I know what it's like to live in the shadow of somebody great, but I wouldn't change that for anything. My brother's love and encouragement is worth all of it. He's there to protect me, to comfort me. He's there to be my friend and my worst enemy at the same time. He's everything I need because he's my big brother. That's exactly what Thor is, Loki."

"No, no," Loki protested. "You don't understand. I worked my entire life to earn my rightful place on the throne of Asgard. I did everything I was supposed to, but Thor still ended up with everything. Everything I deserved and he didn't. They all stick by him. Family, friends, everybody! None of them every cared about me! It was all an appalling lie!"

"Nobody's entitled to anything, Loki. That's what you don't get. You can work harder than anybody else and still get the least. But it's the work and the experiences that truly matter. That's the reward. That's the prize," Anna insisted.

"You're lonely, I get that. Trust me, I get that more than you know. So what? You found out you were adopted. Your parents weren't your birth parents. But they love you. They raised you as their own, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. You think your whole life has been an appalling lie? So you're heartbroken and your angry, but that doesn't mean your friends aren't your friend and your family doesn't love you as if you were their own.

"If you ask me, this is all a desperate cry for help. What you need is love, a friend, a shoulder to cry on and a person to trust. You need someone to be there for you, and a hug. Thor still tries to defend you, and he still loves you despite everything you've done and I trust him. He thinks you're beyond reason, but he hopes that you aren't, so for everybody's sake I hope you aren't.

"Because you deserve happiness, but this isn't the way to get it."

"Well, aren't you just so full of trivial opinions," Loki muttered, turning his back to Anna. He walked several feet away, as if leaving the conversation altogether. "Now it's my turn to speak." Loki turned back around to face Anna, but he didn't walk back towards her. "I believe you and I are very much alike," he stated.

"I beg to differ," Anna interrupted.

"Now, now, don't be a rude child and interrupt," Loki tisked, wagging one of his fingers at her as he took one simple step forward. "You may deny the facts, child, but they are there. We are alike, far more so than you believe. After all, we're both undermined younger siblings, denied what's rightfully ours for the taking. We're criticized and humiliated and for what – a laugh here and there from the ones we believed to be or friends?

"We pretended to be heroes when we had no place to do so."

"I'm not pretending to be a hero," Anna justified. "I'm just trying to do what's right."

"Right? You claim that killing lives and lying to everybody about who you really are is doing the right thing?" Loki scoffed. "No, you take _pleasure_ from the thrill, the _adrenaline_. You enjoy the deception, the lies that come from your work. You claim to care about others, but we both know you do this to make yourself feel better, to deny the guilt eating away at you for all of the pain and suffering you've caused others: your parents, your brother, your Iron Man. I could go on, but I think you get my point.

"You and I are very much alike, child. After all, those who are heartless once care too much…."

"You're wrong," Anna informed her, gulping as she stepped back, her heart pounding in her chest. "You don't know me…"

"Oh, but I do," Loki protested. "Barton sure likes to gossip…"

"Clint doesn't think that. He's not like that," Anna pressed, gritting her teeth. She hated that the alien was trying to make her think so. Clint was her friend, a member of the family, a father or uncle figure, just like Phil. He would never turn on her like that.

"Oh, but he does," Loki laughed, walking back to the glass. "And I will show you how much easier it is to give into the darkness than to stay in the tortured light, Child."

* * *

Ignoring one another had become the name of the game after Loki spouted off his thoughts on the matter about thirty minutes prior to when Black Widow entered the chamber. Anna glanced over at the woman for a moment, receiving a nod from the woman to just go ahead and ignore her. She had to have had a plan if she was down there, and Anna wasn't going to stand in the way of Natasha when she was on the warpath.

Loki had taken up pacing once more. Natasha had gone virtually undetected for several moments as he walked, but finally, he stopped and turned, smirking at the redheaded woman. "There's not many people who can sneak up on me," he informed her.

"But you figured I'd come," Nat said.

"After," Loki said. "After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, a balm. And I would cooperate."

"I want to know what you've done to Agent Barton," Romanoff said, making her intentions known from the very beginning.

"I'd say I've expanded his mind," Loki said, not completely answering the question. It defiantly wasn't the answer Natasha wanted.

"And once you've won, once you're king of the mountain, what happens to his mind?" she pressed.

"Oh, is this _love_ , Agent Romanoff?" Loki asked.

"Love is for children, I owe him a debt," Natasha clarified.

Anna smirked. Clint and Natasha were nothing more than best friend or something like siblings. No, Nat loved Clint, but definitely not in the way Loki was implying, and it kinda grossed Anna out if she were to be completely honest. No, Laura, Clint's wife, would probably laugh at the implication, and Clint would just be grossed out.

"Tell me," Loki instructed, turning around to take the small stool that was in there.

Natasha turned around and grabbed a chair to sit down in. "Before I worked for SHIELD, I uh, well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skillset. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call."

That Anna hadn't known. She knew they'd known each other for a number of years as they worked in SHIELD, but Anna didn't know how either of them ever actually came to work for SHIELD. It was all news to the girl. She felt like she was sitting in on something she probably shouldn't be hearing, something too personal for the redheaded woman that like to help train the teenager.

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" Loki asked.

"Not let you out," she said.

"Ah, no, but I _like_ this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man?" Loki concluded.

"Regimes fall every day," Nat said. "I tend not to weep over that. I'm Russian…or was."

"And what are you now?" Loki asked.

"It's really not that complicated," Nat told him, standing up. "I've got red in my ledger; I'd like to wipe it out."

"Can you?" Loki asked. "Can you wipe out _that much_ red?" Loki was up to no good again. Just as he turned the conversation on Anna, he was going to do the same to Natasha. "Dreykov's daughter? Sao Paulo? The Hospital Fire? Barton told me everything." Loki slowly got up and made his way to the glass to confront Natasha closer. "Your ledger is dripping, it's gusting red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change that? This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer. _Pathetic_!

"You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers," Loki said, glancing over at Anna to make sure she knew part of that was directed towards her. "You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you, and they will _never go away_!

Loki slammed his fist against the glass, making Nat flinch. "I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear! And when he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you _mewling quim_!"

Nat turned away from Loki, what sounded like a gasped sob leaving her throat in disgust. "You're a monster," she told him, her voice weak.

Loki broke out in a smile and gave a short laugh. "Oh no," he said, moving a step back from the glass, "you brought the monster."

Natasha turned back around after hearing that; very poised. "So, Banner. That's your play," she thought out loud.

"What?" Loki asked, his expression confused on how quickly Natasha changed. Nat turned to her left, placing her hand on her earpiece to inform everybody what was going on. "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well." She stopped, just before she made it to the door and turned to Loki, "Thank you for your cooperation."

" _Understood,"_ Fury answered over the comms. " _Agent Carr, remain in Detainment and keep an eye on Loki."_

"Yes, Sir," Anna answered, placing her hand on the system in her ear. Loki looked over at Anna, still confused. "You played right into that one," Anna told him. "There's nothing the Black Widow can't extract when she's desperate enough."

Loki growled and slammed his hand against the glass.

"Careful," Anna said, smirking. "Fury said if you touched the glass, you'd take a little trip…"

"Oh, I'm planning a trip, alright. And you're coming with me," Loki muttered darkly.

Right after his words finished leaving his mouth, the whole Helicarrier shook from a massive explosion that defined Anna for a good several minutes. The violent jolting sent the girl stumbling into the railing in front of her, momentarily making contact with her head. It hadn't been the worst blow she'd ever sustained there, but it definitely wasn't pleasant, making her lose track of everything around her for several minutes as she tried to regain her composure. Finally, about a couple minutes after nearly being knocked out by the railing, Anna stood up straight and pulled out her gun.

Defensive lockdown of the detainment area wasn't possible, seeing as a couple of Loki's human goons were entering just as Anna was ready to fight. Before they could really get the change to go after Anna, seeing as she wasn't exactly in their line of sight, she rushed forward and emptied her mag at them, managing to take down two of the intruders.

More were still coming though. Anna dropped her gun and moved in, blocking a punch and ducking under their arm so that she could shove them from behind into the glass container. The next person ran up behind her while she was still facing the first guy she threw, and as he punched out, Anna moved a bit to the left and reached back to grab his arm. She pulled it down over her shoulder, making the man's chest make contact with her back. She didn't stop there though, as she pulled more, using her back as leverage to through the man into the other guy that she had just thrown into the glass.

" _Agent Carr, do you copy?"_ Anna heard Fury in her ear.

There wasn't enough time for Anna to react to the person behind her like she did the last time. She found an arm wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air supply. She gasped, crying out as she tried to get air into her lungs. It wasn't coming. Desperate, Anna reached back and tried to claw at the man's eyes with her nails, but he was wearing a mask, so there wasn't any possible way for that to work. Plan two then. Anna bent her knee all the way back, almost as if she was foing to touch her foot to her butt, but instead of doing that simple stretch, her foot made hard contact into the man's groin. He cried out, letting Anna go.

She turned around and grabbed them man's head. Simultaneously, Anna brought her knee up, and the man's head down to knee him in the face. She couldn't craw his head, but a knee to the face would definitely knock him out.

Anna grabbed the man's gun and spun around, but as she did so, something sharp and metal made contact with her chest, right at her heart. The movement caused the sharp tip to break through the fabric of her uniform, pressing into the skin causing it to bleed. It was a simple flesh wound, nothing more, but what wasn't seen was what was truly dangerous.

It was cold, as if she had been dropped into an ice bath. It didn't start from her feet though, it was directly in her heart, spreading quickly throughout her body like rippled in a pond. Anna gasped, her breathe short and cut off as the sensation made it to her head, completely clouding her mind of everything she had just been thinking and doing. There was absolutely nothing there, just a followed shell where the brain once was.

And as the unnaturally pure blue eyes of the teen looked up into equally unnaturally eyes, the cavern was filled.

"I told you, Agent Carr," Loki said, pulling the scepter back. "I'd show you the darkness. Doesn't that not feel simpler?"

And by God, it did.

* * *

 **Uuuuuh, so stressful! While trying to get the house ready for my family to come over for the holiday, my Grandfather is here and he's one of those people that constantly needs to be entertained, and he's the most narcissistic person I have ever met. Let's just say I'll spend a whole lot of time outside shoveling...maybe the whole block...And on top of that, he's staying in my room so I don't have a room anymore, and my uncle flipped his truck at the beginning of the week so there was the mini heart attack he gave us (he's okay).  
Well, not that that rant is over, I hope everybody had a happy holiday. **  
**Anyway, I really hope you guys love this chapter. I always intended for Anna to get taken by Loki. All of my other stories I never did it so I was really excited.  
**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 ** _Jedi Jelsa777-_** i'm so stuck with Solace/Condolence right now. I know exactly what I want, but it's going about righting it that's the problem. I really want to but I just have no motivation at the moment, or the patience because of my grandfather.

 _ **19irene96**_ \- Thank you, I love Clark as well. He's so much fun to write for.

 _ **alexpmcmurphy**_ \- Thank you, and I appreciate the offer but as of right now I just don't have the time to coordinate with anybody to do it, but if I do I'll let you know! Yes, Anna will be incorporated into Agents of SHIELD episodes, that's one of the primary reasons for this story.

 _ **CJ/OddBall-**_ Hey! Good to see you again! There's a lot about Anna that nobody knows and her journey is far from over, and may suprise people as it goes on. TOny will get better in the future. He's a pain but he's not the most unreasonable person ever. Just slightly.

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- I love Clark too. He's pretty much the same exact brother I use for every story where I have an older brother in, just with different names, and I love him all the same (I just can't help it. I just love the character so much that I have to use him). If he were a real person, man, I'd fawn over him. lol. I assure you, Condolence isn't forgotten. I've got everything planned out, but I've been having a hard time getting this next chapter out, then school was extremely stressful and my grandfather is enough to make me want to kill myself so...It will be back soon, I promise!

 _ **Guest**_ \- He will, I promise. We just have to get through the movie and some of his stubbornness first.


	24. Mindless

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Avengers, Agents of SHIELD, etc. Just Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 23  
Mindless

Anna stood with her arms cross, much like she had before shit hit the fan and Loki had broken out. The teenager was standing off to the side, out of the way as a couple of the other men worked. Inside the cage was a mirage of Loki, one he had created himself for the plan he had forming in his head.

"That's incredible, Sir," Anna told him, looking at the fake Loki.

"Thank you, Child," he told her. "It's a simple trick that always fools lesser minds than myself."

Anna lurched to the said, and in order to prevent herself from falling over again, she grabbed the railing behind her to steady herself. The only reason the Helicarrier would be descending that quickly would be because another one of the engines was taken out. "We'll want to head towards the cargo bay soon, Sir," Anna informed Loki. "It's the fastest, most accessible ways to get to the quinjets."

"That is very useful information," Loki said, studying the child. "You will be of great use to me."

"I serve at the pleasure," Anna said, nodding to the black haired god.

"Now remain silent," Loki ordered. "My plan is about to take effect."

Anna did just as she was ordered. She stood off to the side, one hand on her hip and the other on the gun she had previously stolen from one of the unconscious men. The door to the detention center opened, and the first thing Anna could hear as the cage opened for the fake Loki was a desperate, "No!"

Thor ran in, and just as he got in, lunged forward to tackle Loki back into the cage. Though, as it was only an illusion, Thor went flying in on his own and the door sealed behind him, trapping him inside. Thor turned around, his expression confused and angry as he found his brother sanding off to the side where the control panel was, standing in front to and off to the side of his once fellow ally: Anna.

"Are you ever _not_ going to fall for that?" Loki asked.

Angry and desperate, Thor raised his hammer and bashed it against the glass, cracking it, but not breaking through. The force jostled the lock holding the top of the container in place, threatening to drop it.

Loki laughed and moved back, standing right in front of the controls. "The humans think us immortal," he pointed out. "Should we test that?"

Before he had the chance to press it though, one of his men made a pained cry and fell to the ground unconscious. Anna instantly raised her gun and moved forward, pointing it at the man that was intruding on the plans of her savior. There, standing with both hands on a device Anna had never seen before was Agent Phil Coulson. His eyes shifted from the form of the teenager and back to Loki, unsure of how to completely go about this.

"Move away, Please," Coulson said, pointing the largest gun Anna had ever seen to Loki.

Loki raised his hands slowly, stepping on step back from the controls while Anna moved to stand at his side, her gun pointed at the intruder.

"You like this?" Phil asked, walking closer. "We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does, so I recommend you release Anna from whatever hold you have on her, and let Thor out. Otherwise…." Phil pressed a button and the gun warmed up, turning the barrel orange. "Wanna find out?"

Anna tilted her head to the side, her eyes no longer following Phil. The unnatural eyes were behind him, almost making Phil turn his head to see what was there, but he couldn't afford to take his eyes off of Loki.

What Coulson wasn't aware of was that Loki wasn't actually standing in front of him. Instead, right behind him, Loki stood with his scepter. He raised it, piercing it through Phil's chest through the back. Anna smirked, watching and listening as the man cried out and fell to the grated floor with the gun still in his lap.

"No!" Thor screamed out again, slamming his hand against the glass as he watched his ally die.

Loki moved forward, back to the control panel as Anna moved to stand in front of Coulson, her eyes studying him. His mouth was coated with blood, his eyes looking up at her as he panted, blood dripping out of his chest and his back.

The black haired Asgardian opened the box where the button was contained and glanced back at Thor one last time before he finally pushed it. Within seconds, the containment cage was gone, and so was Thor with it. The opening in the bottom of the Helicarrier closed once the cage was gone and Loki turned to Anna.

"Come, Child," Loki said, leading Anna out. "Lead the way toward the Cargo Bay."

"You're going to lose."

Loki stopped and turned back to Phil, who was still, by some miracle, still alive. "Am I?" he asked.

"It's in your nature," Phil added.

"Hmm," Loki hummed. "Your heroes are scattered," he pointed out, stalking back towards Phil, Anna, of course, trailing right behind him. "Your floating fortress fails from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction," Phil answered.

Loki turned, as if he was just going to walk away, but he stopped. He turned to Anna and said, "Before we leave, take him out. He's an annoyance." Then, he turned back fully to Phil, as if to say something in his own defense. "I don't think I'm-"

And before Anna could react to help Loki, he went flying back through the wall after the gun in Phil's lap went off. "So that's what it does…" Anna stepped forwards, directly in front of Phil, handgun pointed at his chest. "Anna, wait," he muttered, looking up at her with desperate eyes. "Don't do this. Don't give in to him. You don't want to do this. It's not you."

Anna knelt down, her eyes narrowing. "You don't know me," Anna told him. "I've always just been whatever you and everybody else has wanted me to be." Anna stood up, gun pointed back at his chest. "Well, not anymore." She saw fear flash through his eyes as the gun cocked.

"Goodbye, Agent Coulson."

 _Bang_.

* * *

All of the noise from the agents on the main floor was gone completely unnoticed as Tony and Steve sat at the conference table with Director Fury standing in front of them. The last time they had been there, there had been more people around. Agent Coulson, Agent Romanoff, Agent Carr, and Dr. Banner. But now, all that was left were those four.

Tony, guilt and pained by the loss of the man that had always been honest to him at SHIELD was staring off to the left, not looking at the Director while Steve sat several seats away staring at the table.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket," Fury said, studying the card in his hand before tossing them onto the table. "Guess he never did get you to sign them." Steve reached out to take one of the cards as Fury continued. "We're dead in the air up here," he informed them. "Our communications, location of the cube…Banner, Thor…I got nothing for you. I lost my one good eye. Maybe I had it coming. Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number, though, because I was playing something even riskier.

"There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes."

Tony shot up from his chair, unable to take hearing anymore of Fury's speech. He stalked over to the door, but as he did, he caught the shoulder of a desperate Clark running past him.

"Well, it's an old-fashioned notion," Fury concluded.

Stark was about leave once Clark was by, but something about the man stopped him and made him look back as Clark ran into the room, her eyes desperately scanning for Fury. Once his blue eyes landed on the man, he rushed up to him, grabbing him by the front of his leather jacket and demanded, "Where is she?"

"Remember your place, Carr," Hill warned, getting him to release Fury.

"Where's who?" Steve asked.

"Anna!" Clark shouted. "Where's my sister? I've looked everywhere, even the med bay, but she's not there! Fury, where the hell is my baby sister?!"

Tony narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow, anger boiling even more than it already was as he continued to listen in around the corning from them.

"We managed to get Agent Barton back because of Agent Romanoff," Fury started to explain. "But…Before Agent Coulson died he said that Loki had control of Anna. She left with him. We caught it on surveillance…"

"No," Clark muttered, his knees going weak. He grabbed onto the table to stabilize himself. "No, she couldn't…she can't…"

"We'll do everything in our power to get her back, Clark," Fury said. "But Anna knew the risks."

"She's seventeen!" Clark snapped. "She shouldn't have even been here in the first place! I knew I should've left SHIELD after our parents were killed. I knew something in her changed after they were tortured!" he yelled, giving out classified information as he went. "I asked her if that's what she wanted, but she knew I really wanted to stay so she said that this was what she wanted. I knew I should've…" Clark broke down, sobs consuming his body.

Tony couldn't take any more of it. With that, he was gone.

* * *

Killing was always something that really bothered Anna. She knew when she did it, she never had a choice in the matter, and then she'd lose sleep for several days, weeks, sometimes even months after. But as she led Loki out of the Helicarrier, having keeps a handful of SHIELD agents as they went, Anna felt nothing at all. They were just people standing in the way of her, her mission, and Loki.

She didn't even think twice before pulling the trigger, and she definitely didn't linger on the dead bodies lying in the hallway, the image that would've been imprinted on her brain for the rest of her life. No, she wasn't thinking about that at all as she went up the stairwell to the roof of Stark Tower to check on how Dr. Selvig was doing upon Loki's orders.

"Ah, Anna! My friend, it's good to see that you've been enlightened as well!" Selvig said, greeting Anna. "The Tesseract has shown me so much, so many new things. What has it shown you?"

"An uncomplicated path and state of mind to do what needs to be down," Anna answered, smiling back at Selvig. "How are things going up here? Loki wants an update."

"They're going perfectly," he answered. "My device is self-sustaining and should be completely operational within the next few minutes. His army should be here soon, just as scheduled."

"Good, he'll be pleased," she said, patting the man on the shoulder.

Anna turned and left, making her way down the stairs she had just gone up. She entered the main living area, the one Anna had been in the same night she and Agent Coulson had visited to recruit Tony. She didn't even spare a glance around the room as she made her way up to Loki out on the balcony and bowed her head respectively.

"Dr. Selvig's informed me that the device is self-sustaining and everything is moving as planned," Anna informed him.

"Good," Loki muttered, nodding his head as he took a look around.

A loud warping noise caught both of their attentions, and Anna pulled out her gun. "Would you like me to go check that out, Sir?" Anna asked.

"No, I suspect they'll come to us shortly," Loki answered.

As if on cue, Tony Stark in his Iron Man garb, landed on the outstretched platform outside the building. As he walked the path to go inside, the armor was removed from his person. By the time he entered, he was just in his everyday wear, no different than any other day Anna had seen him.

He walked in as if he owned the place, which, now he didn't. It was now Loki's domain. Whatever Loki wanted, Anna was more than happy to comply and give it to him. After all, following his orders was a lot less work and stressful and figuring out everything on her own.

Anna followed Loki inside, her gun drawn and trained on Stark in case he tried anything funny.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," Loki laughed. "That's what your dear Anna tried to do before I showed her a simpler path."

"Uh, actually, I'm planning to threaten you," Tony corrected.

"You should have left your armor on for that," Loki said.

"Yeah," Tony muttered, making his way down the first part of stairs that lead to the bar. "It's seen a bit of mileage, and you've got the glow stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"

Loki laughed as he glanced up from the scepter. "Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no, no, _threatening_ ," Tony corrected him. "No drink? You sure? I'm having one."

 _He needs liquid courage to face Loki. How pathetic,_ Anna thought.

Loki turned his back to Tony to go look out the window, but Anna stayed right where she was. "The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that." Loki spun back around to asked, "What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers," Tony answered, pouring his drink. "That's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team. "Earth's mightiest heroes" type thing."

"Yes, I've met them," Loki laughed.

"Yeah," Tony scoffed. "It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count, here. Your brother, a demigod, a Super-Soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger-management issues, a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. Not to mention Anna. When she gets out of this, I wouldn't want to be around to take the brunt of that anger, especially since you've brainwashed her and taken away her Uncle from her."

"That was the plan," Loki told him.

"Not a great plan," Tony informed him. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you," Tony told him, making his way closer to Loki.

"I have an army," Loki said.

"We have a Hulk," Tony shot back.

"Oh, I thought the beast had wandered off," Loki said.

"You're missing the point," Tony said. "There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

Loki stalked the rest of the way towards Tony and raised the scepter to his chest. "How will your friends have time for me when they are so busy fighting you?" He touched the scepter to his chest, and the metal clanged against the new arc reactor in his chest. He tried again, but the same thing happened and Tony was no more in Loki's control as he had been when he entered. "This usually works…" he muttered.

"Well, performance issues, it's not uncommon. One out of five-" Tony rambled, only stopping when he was cut off by Loki grabbing his throat and throwing him to the ground.

"Jarvis, anytime now," Tony muttered, struggling to get to his feet. Just as he got back up, Loki got to him and grabbed his throat again.

"You will all fall before me," Loki told him.

"Deploy!" Tony yelled out. Loki lifted him off the ground by his throat. "Anna, I'll fix this, I promise," he choked out before yelling on more time. "Deploy!" And with that, he was thrown out the window.

Anna turned, her eyes looking in the direction Tony had just been looking before he had been tossed out. She noticed the elevator moving, and instinctively, Anna yelled, "Get down!" and tacked Loki to the ground as something shot out of it off after Tony.

Helping Loki back up after she got him to safety. Tony flew back up, now in another suit of armor. "And there's one other person you pissed off," Tony told him. "His name was Phil." Tony raised his hand and shot at Loki, just missing Anna as she tried to jump in front of him.

Anna raised the gun and opened fire on Tony, causing him to fly away. Anna rushed back over to Loki and helped him up. "Go up to the machine and make sure nothing interferes," Loki ordered.

Anna nodded and dropped the gun that was useless before rushing up to the roof, unable to find Selvig. That didn't really matter though. As long as Anna watched over the machine things would be fine. And while she waited, watching the Chitauri enter their world from the sky was a good enough source of entertainment.

It wasn't until Agent Romanoff's arrival that Anna's work really began. She knew the woman was there to stop what was going on, and Anna's job was to make sure that she didn't accomplish her mission. After all, Loki needed her to make sure the whole Chitauri army made it through the portal.

"Not another step, Natasha," Anna called out, stepping between her and the machine. "You're not getting to the machine."

Natasha sighed. "I'm really sorry about this," Nat said, raising her arm up to Anna. With her fist clenched, arm outstretched to Anna, Nat placed her other hand on her wrist and out shot a small device that was too quick for Anna to dodge. It landed right on her chest, electrocuting her.

Anna screamed and dropped to her knees panting and before she could get up, Natasha grabbed her head and bashed it into her knee just as Anna had done do earlier that day while trying to prevent Loki from getting out of the cage. And just like that man, Anna was knocked out cold.

* * *

 **I know, a little bland and not a whole lot of personality in it, but it's not really supposed to. Anna's not herself, and everything she did was because of Loki. It won't be until later that things get elaborated on, because, you know, PTSD and whatnot. That's when the real details and feelings will come out. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it nonetheless. Let me know what you think!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapters:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- Thank you so much, and I'll definitely keep that in mind. I have my grandfather until late at night until the 1st, but then I have several weeks to work on stories, etc. But I have plenty of time this week (which when you read this, is probably last week lol). But if I need help, I'll definitely let you know.

 _ **CJ/OddBall-** _ To you as well! And no, definately not good. lol


	25. Blame Game

**Disclaimer** **: I don't own anything Marvel, Avengers, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 24  
Blame Game

Nothing had been simple or easy since waking up in the medical bed in one of the few private medical rooms in the Helicarrier. Anna hadn't been alone when she woke up, though she had wished she had been. She pretended to be asleep for several good, long minutes, but the man sitting in the chair with his legs crossed, data pad in hand, was too good of an agent to know that Anna wasn't really asleep as she claimed to be.

All she wanted was to be left alone to wither away and die. After everything she had done, after everything she had _wanted_ to do under Loki's control, that was the _tamest_ thing she deserved. After all, as Anna recalled, she had killed seven agents while escorting Loki out to the cargo bay. And that wasn't including what she had done to…

"Am I fired?" she asked, lying in bed with her gray eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Director Fury glanced at Anna before looking back to his pad. "Now why would you say that, Agent Carr?" Fury asked as he closed out of all of the highly classified material he had been sifting through.

"Because," Anna muttered. She sighed and pushed herself into a sitting position, the pillow behind her giving her enough support to be comfortable.

"That's not really an acceptable answer and you know it," he said, placing the pad on the table next to him. "Would you fire Agent Barton because of what happened?"

"No, but-" Anna started to protest.

"Then why should it be any different for you?" Fury pressed.

"Because I…" Anna muttered, shaking her head. She bit her lip, preventing herself from saying the words that kept repeating themselves in her head. The tears welling up in her air burned, desperate to slip out and be free, but Anna wouldn't let them. She didn't deserve to be upset. She didn't deserve anything. Not after everything she had done. "Because I killed Phil…"

"That wasn't your fault, Anna," Fury said, his voice the most comforting she had ever heard it. "You weren't yourself, and you weren't in control of our actions. There wasn't anything you could've done."

Anna scoffed and angrily spat out, "Of course it's my fault!"

"No, it isn't," Fury protested. "If you're going to blame anybody, it should be Loki."

"Loki? I don't blame Loki," Anna growled surprisingly. "I felt that thing take control. I could feel it. Even though Loki had ahold of it, he was no exception to its influence. Dr. Selvig asked me what it had showed me, and that's what it showed me!" Anna rambled. "I don't blame Loki. I blame myself. I did those things. I did it myself. It's my fault. Everything is _my_ fault!"

"It might take time, but I think you'll come to realize that it isn't," Fury told her, patting her leg over the blanket covering her. "There's one thing we have to make clear though. I've classified Agent Coulson's death. There are only a handful of people that know what really happened in there, that you shot him. As far as anybody else is concerned, Phil just died before the battle of New York, and it was from the stab wound through the heart. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Why don't you help with the city clean up for a little while, then head back up to the cabin for a breather? Take some time to get your head on straight and to figure out what it is you want."

"I don't think-"

"That wasn't a request, Anna," Fury pressed.

Anna sighed and nodded her head. It wasn't like that was much else for her to do anyway.

* * *

At one time, Anna felt that helping clean up a disaster SHIELD was unable to prevent had helped her cope and deal with guilt of not being able to stop it. That had been the exact case in Puente Antiguo after the Destroyer had arrived and nearly leveled the whole Town. Now, with the Battle of New York, Anna hadn't felt any better helping clean up. She did it for a while, doing what she actually could before she left to go to the cabin, her brother driving.

Just seeing the destruction caused by Loki's Chitauri army, what Anna had been a part of, just made her feel even worse. She hadn't know there had been that much destruction at the time. She had spent most of the battle up on the Stark Tower, the first part conscious and then the second half unconscious.

There was so much death and destruction and Anna hadn't even been aware of it. How horrible was that? She had just watched in amazement as they Chitauri descended upon them, happy that they were there. She had been _happy_ about it!

The whole ride up with her brother she had been silent. He tried to talk to her, asked her how she felt, how she was doing, and even asked her about simple things like what kind of music she wanted to listen to on the way up, which was definitely a rarity for him. He always hogged the radio. _Always_.

And that, of course, made Anna upset. She didn't deserve that concern or kindness.

The first week at the cabin had been spent in absolute silence. Anna barely did anything. She stayed in the bedroom, laying down in bed staring at the wall or the ceiling, or the inside of her eyelid. She didn't eat. She didn't speak. The only time she got up was to use the bathroom, and the only way she slept was by passing out from exhaustion.

Clark was freaking out. He didn't know what to do. Anna had been in a bad place after the death of their parents, but that had nothing on this. Anna, then, had blamed herself a bit, but she came to realize that it hadn't been her fault. They had been compromised and there was nothing she couldn't done to stop that. And there was no way she could've made it out, taking on all of the mercenary, to save her parents and make it out alive.

This was vastly different. Anna wasn't doing anything she had done before and he didn't know how to react. Everything he said went in one ear and out the other. She didn't even acknowledge anything he said.

It wasn't until the following week that Anna was able to pull herself out of bed and eat in the living room with her brother. Her eyes looked hollow, the black circles making her look far older than seventeen years old, and in great contrast to how pale she looked.

Anna barely finished the two plain pieces of toast he made her. He was sitting next to her, arm resting on the back of the couch, one foot propped up on the coffee table. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Exactly how I deserve to feel," she answered, staring at the plate in her lap.

"None of it was your fault, Anna. You have to know that," Clark insisted.

Anna huffed, shaking her head. She turned her head, looking out the back windows to the trees. "I still did it," Anna said. "I'm the one that wanted to do those things. And I enjoyed it. That's the worst part. I wanted to do it, so I did it, and I _liked_ it."

She remembered killing all of them. Every single one. She not only had to watch herself kill innocent people, killing friends, but she remembered doing it too. And maybe that's why she wasn't worth the SHIELD anymore. Because she was drowning in the blood of the innocence and the pain that she created. It doesn't matter to her that she wasn't in control. She still did it. She still directs the blame towards her entire being.

"I spoke to Barton a little bit about what happened. He won't tell anybody, and he barely gave me anything, but I think he did because he knew you would need help dealing with it too. He said that that thing," Clark said, "it took everything you were and shoved it out the window, then put something else in its place. It rewrote your brain and forced you to be someone different, someone you're not. That's why you were feeling all of that."

Anna didn't know what to say to that. So instead, Anna brought forth something that had been plaguing her thoughts. "How am I supposed to go back to SHIELD after I killed our own people? They didn't like me there in the first place…"

"They don't blame you for any of that. Most people don't know you had any involvement," Clark said.

"So that's just another thing classified," Anna muttered. "What if I'm not welcome? What if I don't deserve to be there? What if I can't do what I'm supposed to do anymore? I mean, Phil trusted me and…" Anna nearly opened her big fat mouth and gave away that bit of classified information.

 _Phil trusted me to do what was right and to be the agent he knew I could be, and I went and shot him_ , Anna thought.

"You remember what Dad used to say? "Whenever you're afraid of something, you go right at it or it'll control you for the rest of your life." You're never going to be ready if you put it off too long, and the longer you wait the harder it'll be to go back," Clark told her. "A hero's not someone who's unafraid. It's the guy who's scared to death and does what's right anyway."

"I'm not a hero," Anna said.

"You're my hero," Clark told her. "You're so young, and yet, you have the biggest, purest heart I've ever seen. You've been through hell and back, over and over again and you're still such a good person, Anna. You're my hero. You're the person I strive to be. Heroes aren't always the ones who win. They're the ones who lose sometimes. But they keep fighting. They keep coming back. They don't give up."

Shortly after that day Clark was called back in to take up the undercover work he had been on before the Battle of New York, leaving Anna alone at the cabin. Anna was left with so much to think about, and Clark's words kept playing on repeat in her head.

Anna had always wanted to be a member of SHIELD to do good and fight the good fight, but now she didn't feel deserving to hold the SHIELD. She had been the danger that they went up against and fought. But now, she wasn't, but all of the death and suffering she had caused wouldn't leave her head.

She found, after days of contemplating, Anna knew that those thoughts wouldn't leave her unless she could prove to herself, and to the memory of Phil, that she could, in fact, protect people just as she had before. So later that day Anna contacted Director Fury to inform him that she wanted to get back in the game.

They made another deal. As long as Anna spent some time training with Agents Romanoff and Barton, he would allow her full access and privileges that came with the level six clearance she had been working under while shadowing Coulson. Anna readily accepted the terms of the arrangement, and the following morning Anna made her way back to New York.

She was choosing to strongly believe that there was a point where it all became too much, when she got too tired to fight anymore. That's where she was at now. And choosing to give up wasn't an option. That's where the work really began. After all, when we hit our lowest point, we're open to the greatest change.

* * *

Anna, though not one hundred percent like she was before being controlled by Loki, Anna was a lot better once she started training again. Getting to feel physical pain instead of mental was a lot easier to deal with, and a much welcomed distraction, plus, being around Natasha and Clint really helped her feel like she was a part of something again.

There was a routine, and again, it was something Anna detested. At least as of late, the routine didn't involve office work and dealing with annoying people sitting at the desks behind her. Training was a lot more fun and unpredictable, but there was pretty much the same outcome each time: with Anna getting laid flat on the mats.

She was learning so much from Natasha and Clint. Natasha with all of the different fighting styles and with Clint the different uses and kinds of weaponry, as well as improving her marksmanship. There were some other things thrown in here and there like situational theories they'd run by her while simultaneously beating her ass to a pulp, but that just helped her improve her mind and the rate at which she thought. Now, she was thinking three steps ahead instead of simply the one that came next.

Everything was going well until that night on July 11th, her birthday, when Director Fury showed up at the apartment door. Anna instantly knew what it was about, there was only one thing that it could've been. After all, there was only one thing big enough to get him to show up there at her apartment outside of work hours.

Clark was dead.

"There was a fire while he was undercover," Fury told her. "He ran in to get some people out and… he didn't come back out. He died a hero."

Of course he did. Clark was a hero. Always putting others first, dedicating his life to something bigger which denied him the normalcy and things entailed with such a concept. Anna was upset, of course, but there wasn't much she could do about the situation to change it. Her brother was gone.

It was obvious by the look on Fury's face that he was afraid she'd relapse into the state she had been in before coming back to work. He couldn't afford to do that, not after everything the Carr family had done for SHIELD in their years of working there, and even before when it was still the SSR. No, Anna deserved better. She needed better.

"Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely and we're left with only the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it, to stand there trembling, not moving, assuming the worst that can happen or we can step forward into the unknown and assume it will be brilliant."

Assuming brilliance was a great notion, but unrealistic. Anna knew that, but she went along with it anyway. She needed to believe it.

So when Fury suggested a job that would put her back into the field, Anna readily accepted.

It would be brilliant, she told herself. She needed it to be.

* * *

 **So, a lot of stuff happened in the last, and this chapter. Avengers movie is over, and now Clark is dead. Anna doesn't have anybody anymore, and that's specifically the point. She has to reach the lowest point in order to be open to the greatest of change. Its here where Anna really starts to develop into her own person, not who everybody else wanted her to be.  
On an unrelated side note, I think it's so funny how far you guys into Anna's story you are, and the point I'm at writing it. Every time I look to update, I'm like, "Whoa, I'm that much more ahead of them?" It's so funny, and I just can't believe how much I have written. It's so hard not to spoil things. **

**I hope you guys liked it, and please let me know what you think!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- Lol I know. Terrible, right? And this one just pushes Anna even further.

 _ **CJ/OddBall-**_ Yes, exactly. Anna is going to have points where she's okay and not okay with herself and her actions, but she'll always have a spot in her heart that is effeted by it.

 _ **fanfic smiles-** _ Yes, I've always wanted to play with the OC seeing Coulson die, and for the most part, that's what I've always done. But I never thought about actually having them commit the deed, so that's why I was so excited to do this in the Little Miss SHIELD series. And it definately takes a long term toll on Anna.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ Thank you! I wanted it to seem a bit more plain, so that's why there wasn't as many details. There will be more later when she reflects on things, nightmares, etc, and its because even though it was her, its still like viewing a movie right through your very eyes.


	26. Back in Russia

**Disclaimer** **: I don't own anything Marvel, Avengers, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 25  
Back in Russia

Compared to the temperature in New York during July was generally far warmer than Anna found Moscow. Along with the overdue distraction she had so longed for, the cooler temperature was definitely welcomed. She's take being back in Russia undercover than dying of heatstroke and boredom in New York City.

The blonde stood outside of a ratty old building in Moscow. It was a house, with boarded up windows and appeared to be abandoned. Anna, of course, knew otherwise. She walked up to the door and gently knocked her knuckles against the hard, sightly rotting wood. She stepped back, biting her lip as she waited for somebody to come answer. She knew, no matter who answered, they'd be surprised to see her. Either because they knew her from the last time she was undercover there, or because they didn't, and were completely surprised to see the most innocent, elegant of pale blonde girls standing at the door of the Bratva hangout.

A couple seconds later the door swung open, no doubt after looking through the small spy hole looking through to the outside. The large, bulky man standing in front of her had his black hair in a mess, and his brown eyes looking at her in complete and utter confusion. She blinked up at him, her hands still clasped in front of her, intertwined together like an innocent lady she liked to pretend to be as Yana Yerkhov. The man, in turn, narrowed his eyes, almost as if glaring at her.

In his native tongue of Russian, the man opened his mouth and spoke. "You're lost. Wrong building."

Before he had the chance to slam the door on her, Anna stepped a small step forward, surprising the man again. "I'm here to see Yassan," she informed him in perfect Russian.

"You and every other pretty girl," the name said. "Go home."

"Tell him it's Yana, and if he turns me away, I'll leave. But please…" she begged, putting on the most pathetic begging look she could muster, which, honestly, wasn't all that hard to do right now with how dead she felt inside.

The man sighed and ran his hand through his greasy hair, but he did reluctantly move to the side to let her in. "Fine," he said. "This way." He lead her into the back into the kitchen area, where several new guys were all sitting around the table drinking and playing cards. "Wait here."

"Who's she?" one of the new guys, the blond, asked. He was seated in the corner with his knee propped up on the edge of the table, holding him up on the last two legs of the chair he was seated in.

"Don't know," he answered, starting to head back towards the hallway they had just walked in from. "Say's she's here to see Mogilevich _._ "

"Another slut?" Blondie asked.

"Hold your tongue, Vitaly." The voice was deep, raspy, and oh so familiar. It came from behind Anna, and upon hearing it, she turned around and smiled softly.

Behind her stood Viktor. Viktor was Yassan's primary body guard. He was the bulkiest of everybody there, and perhaps the bulkiest man she had ever seen in her life, and that was including Captain Rogers and Thor. He obviously wasn't as strong as them though, but for regular human standards, the man was a bear. He kinda even resembled a bear with his hairy arms, his bushy beard and dark hair.

"Viktor," Anna said, moving forward to give him a hug and a respectful kiss on the cheek. "It is good to see you again."

"You two know each other?" Vitaly asked.

"Do you recall my stories of Alexei? He got along well with Yassan?" Viktor answered, glaring daggers into the male blonde.

"Sure," he answered.

"This is his little sister, Yana. You may have heard Yassan refer to her by Myshka," Viktor informed him.

Vitaly's face paled, and his chair landed with a thumb as it fell back on all four legs. "I thought he referred to his girls as myshka…"

"No, just one," Viktor said.

Anna, blushing slightly to make everything seem believable, bowed her head and allowed for her hair to fall over her pale, delicate looking face to try and avoid the attention that was being drawn to her.

Vitaly quickly stood up and bowed his head to her. "My apologizes," he said. "I didn't mean to offend you in any way."

"Yes you did," Viktor corrected.

There were loud thumps upstairs, and rushed pattering of feet on the floor. Anna glanced up, as if expecting to see what had made the noise before turning back down to look at Viktor. "How have the children been?"

The children, as Anna liked to affectionately call her little cubs, were Yassan's younger siblings. It was because of those children that her undercover work had managed to be so successful in the first place. The first time around, when her and her brother had both been placed in this gig, Clark had been given the name Alexei, and was to be working as a guard and a grunt for Yassan. Yana, was just there to help make their cover a bit more believable. He was desperate for work to support him and his sister after the murder of their parents while in Italy, keeping a bit true to the facts, and were on the run from whomever had done the deed. They didn't know who, and again, that was keeping to the truth.

Yana eventually managed to get a job cooking for the household, as well as babysitting the children. Yassan was one of five children. He was the oldest child of Gregory Mogilevich, a member of the Bratva. His restaurants were fronts for the Bratva illegal actions. Yassan wasn't much better. Everything he made went to the Bratva, as well as to support his lavish lifestyle, though he wasn't above hanging around this place. It drew far less attention than his penthouse.

Yassan took an instant liking to Yana, claiming that her natural, innocent beauty could not be surpassed by the most gorgeous of models. And Yana, as the innocent little bean that she was, "fell" for it all.

It was in this cover as Yana that Anna pretty much had her first everything. Her first kiss. Losing her virginity. Her first fake romance undercover. Had her brother really known that she went as far as sleeping with Yassan to get him hooked and for information, he would've killed her, but he wouldn't find out now, seeing as he was dead.

Yana and Yassan were pretty exclusive too. He didn't see anybody else while he was seeing her. He honestly claimed to love her, and Viktor backed that up, informing her that he had never seen Yassan so devoted and head over heels for one person before. It nearly broke his heart when her and her brother told him they had to leave because they feared staying there too much longer would risk them getting found and killed. He, of course, offered him as much protection as he could, but they managed to get him to agree that some time away would be best.

Yassan told her that he'd never love another like he loved her, and honestly, Anna could've gagged on how sappy it had been, but Yana swooned and replied with something just as romantic and poetic, but made him promise that he wouldn't wait for her.

Yassan was a manwhore and a crook, but overall, he wasn't really all that bad. He had been nothing but sweet to Yana, and doted on her hand and food, even without her for asking for anything. She never fell in love with him, her moral compass preventing her from doing so, but she did enjoy spending time with him. It was a lot more pleasant than the British Boarding School job, and definitely far more pleasant than even the pleasantest of moments in Palermo.

And Anna would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the comfort of sleeping in somebody's warm embrace. Or the sex. God, the man was a whore, but he was _phenomenal_ in bed. And even before sleeping with her, he went and got himself checked for any STDs. That was how sweet he was to her, and not any of the other women he ever gave the time of day to.

There were loud protests coming from a woman coming down the stairs with a couple sets of footsteps after her. Anna could just make out a half dressed woman being through the front door while the handsome Yassan came rushing down the hallway to see the blonde haired, blue eyed beauty.

Yassan was a good deal taller than Anna. He towered over the girl, standing at about 6'1" in comparison to the mid 5' agent. His strong jaw was shifted as he panted and smiled as he saw the girl dressed a monotone scheme. His smiles made the notch in his nose more prominent though, seeing as he had broken it several time, at least once while Anna had previously been undercover. His dirty blond hair was in complete shambles, and the pungent salty smell of sex filled her nose. And it was fairly obvious he had just thrown on a pair of sweats and a tee-shirt, nothing else, before quickly leaving his room to meet her.

Guess he definitely didn't wait for Yana to get back…

"Myshka!" he exclaimed, completely out of breath, blushing from both the activity had just been interupted, and from getting discovered from the woman he claimed to love so much. He completely ignored the rest of the men in the room and went right up and wrapped the young woman into his arms.

Anna hesitantly hugged him back. He, of course, thought it was because she was jealous and a bit hurt because of what Yana had just seen, while in reality it was because of how he smelled and how sweaty he was. He didn't let her go, but after several moments of embracing, he pulled back to look at her as he spoke. "I've missed you so much, Myshka!"

"I have missed you too, Yassan," she said, hugging back despite her internal disgusted. "It's good to be around friends again."

"Come, let's go upstairs to talk in private," he suggested, wrapping his arm around her shoulder without waiting for her to agree or disagree. He lead her down the hallway, in the same position that had been in the photo that had blown her cover while working with Tony. Once at the stairs he let her go, and replaced his hold onto her hand to walk up the stairs side by side instead. "Now, tell me," he said as he lead her upstairs, and then down the hall to his very large room. "How were your travels? You've must've seen so much. How's Alexei?"

Yana took a seat in the corner of the couch, wedging herself next to the armrest. She grabbed the pillow next to her and clutched it to her chest. "I'm sorry I…Interrupted…"

"Interrupted? I don't know what you're talki-oh…." Yassan's fake tanned face reddened significantly. "I'm so sorry, Myshka. I didn't…"

Anna smiled softly at him. "It's okay, Yassan. I told you before we left, you didn't have to wait. Nobody knew when I'd be back, if that. I couldn't expect you to. I know what your needs are."

"There's no excuse for it when you're the one I really want to be with. I feel guilty every time…" He stopped mid sentence, groaning and slapping his forehead. "That just assures you it's several times. You must think I'm a terrible person."

"No, I could never think that," she answered. Anna reached over, taking his hand in her own and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I never stopped loving you," Yassan told her. He reached out, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear so tenderly, it almost made her wish she could really swoon over the action.

The thought of being in love like that seemed so nice. A person you couldn't take your eyes off of, to swoon at the simplest of touches, to have thoughts only be filled by them and them alone. When she'd had a hard day at SHIELD and went home upset, he'd be there to kiss her forehead and and remind her that everything would be okay, even if it was just with him for a little while. He'd be there to remind her that she wasn't alone on her worst days. And she'd do all that and more in return.

Yassan wasn't that person for her, but for right now, he thought she was. And that's what she'd be. It was selfish to use that to her advantage, and it was even more selfish to take advantage of the small amount of comfort she got from being held in a strong man's arms, getting wired to the core, which had been feeling so cold lately.

"I love you too, Yassan," Anna told him, moving closer to lay her head against his shoulder. "I've been so alone, so scared lately and…"

Yassan wrapped her up in his arms and leaned back, pulling her down with him so she ended up laying again his chest. He grabbed the blanket that was draped across the back of the couch and covered them to help relax her. "What's happened to you, Myshka?"

Anna buried her face into his chest, ignoring the smell. With all the emotions rushing to the surface about Clark and Phil, she had completely forgotten about it. Right now, all she could feel was her chest tightening up and her throat closing. The pressure behind her eyes became too much, and the tears streamed down her cheeks, staining the tee-shirt Yassan was wearing. "Alexei's dead," she admitted, her voice quivering.

Yassan leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I knew something was wrong when you showed up without him. He never left your side when you were here, not unless you were here or with me."

"They set the hotel on fire," she admitted. "I went out to get us things for dinner. He was asleep. He'd been so tired from traveling and….I just wanted to make him a warm meal…."

"Shhh, Myshka," Yassan hushed, pulling her closer to his chest. "None of this is your fault."

"I should've been there for him," she said. "We could've gotten out. He didn't have to…..they burned him alive, Yassan. _Alive_!"

All she could picture was Clark running into the fire to save the people inside. That's what Fury had told her. Her brother died on mission, saving the lives of the people around him, no matter who they were. Clark was a true agent, a true hero. He was everything Anna wished she could be, but knew she never could. She was too selfish, too dark and too broken to be kind of hero that Clark and Phil wanted her to be.

She was just a disappointment. And that's one of the things that hurt her heart the most.

"The chances that you would've died too are far greater than both of you escaping," he told her. "It's selfish of me to think so, but I'm glad you survived. Your brother wouldn't want you to die like that. Never. And now that you're here, I can protect you, my little Myshka."

 _I deserve to burn in hell,_ Anna though. _I get everybody I care about killed._

"I won't let anything happen to you," Yassan added.

"Can I stay here with you?" she asked, looking up at him with red eyes. "I don't want to intrude, but I don't have anywhere else to go and you're the only one I trust."

"Of course," he told her, leaning down to gently kiss her lips. His lips were slightly chapped, and they were overly hydrated with chapstick, no doubt from all of the kissing he did, but the kiss was a welcomed distraction and comfort for Anna. "You will always have a home here with me, Yana. You will forever be my only love."

* * *

 _Chaos always made Anna's heart pound in her chest, no matter how hard she tried to control it. When alarms were blaring overhead, and people were rushing around in a controlled panic to get everything they needed down in whatever situation they happened to find themselves in, her heart would bang against the walls of her chest. She would always keep her cool though. She'd get her job done and she'd do it well._

 _But as she walked down the hallways with the other men_ _Loki took control of, with Loki right behind her, surrounded by the man for protection as they went to the cargo bay leave in one of the quinjets, her heart wasn't racing. She was cool, calm, and completely collected. Anna knew what she had to do, and she knew exactly how she had to do it. It didn't matter what happened to her or anybody else as long as Loki got to his destination to finish what he needed to do. That's all that was important in that moment._

 _How she had ever thought anything else was ever important was beyond her. Loki was everything she needed, everything the world needed to get back to where it needed to be. He was right, things were so much simpler when decisions were taken out of her hands. She didn't have to think, she just did. No questions asked. No pain from the actions she committed. Loki was taking all of that from her and making them for her. He was feeling it all for her, and that's what made him such a good ruler._

 _The door opened and Anna stepped through it, but the second she did two agents popped out to stop them. They raised their guns to shoot, but before they could, Anna dropped down to the ground and swung her legs out, knocking the firsts to the ground. A shot rang overhead, her actions obviously allowing her to dodge what had just been fired. As she spun back up from the kick, Anna grabbed the shooters hand with her own, twisting around so that she twisted her arm along with her, pulling it painfully. She had it pressed down on her shoulder, and as she leaped forward, pulled the man, and dislocating his shoulder simultaneously. As he yelled out in pain, she took the gun from his hand and then pointed it between his eyes and pulled the trigger, the spatter of blood getting on her clothes and skin, but she didn't care._

 _Anna turned, and before the guy she had kicked out got back up, pointed the gun at him. He looked up at her, meeting her blue eyes with his hazel ones, fear passing through them._

 _"Please," he begged. "I have a family."_

 _Anna just blinked and pulled the trigger, hitting him in the neck. It didn't kill him instantly, and as he fell to the ground, clutching his neck as he bled out, Anna just watched, her head turned to the side._

 _"It's an incredible thing, watching the life drain out of someone, is it not?" Loki asked her._

 _It was an incredible sensation. Like the slow extraction of warm. No more heat, just the cool chill. It was nothing Anna had ever felt before, but it wasn't going to be the last. No, Loki would have her do it again because she was his little fighter. And she'd gladly do it as many times as he needed._

* * *

Anna shot up in bed, her heart desperate to make its way out of her chest. She was crying and panting, desperate to get air into her lungs and to compose herself. Carefully, Anna lifted Yassan's arm from around her waist and slipped off the bed. The only noise in the room was the soft patter of her feet against the wooden floor as she made her way to the bathroom.

It was nearly the end of October now, and each and every night Anna's dreams were just like that one. She'd relive everything she did under Loki's control, primarily the look in Phil's eyes when she shot him. But, of course, those eyes weren't the only ones that haunted her. Agent Danvers was the man with the family she had murdered. She looked him up shortly after starting backup at SHIELD. Just like every other agent she killed in the escape from the helicarrier.

She knew every name, every family member's name, their back story, what their hobbies were, their favorite foods. They were humans, but at the time, she hadn't seem them as such. They were just obstacles in her way. _Loki's_ way. So they had to go. They weren't people. They weren't colleagues, they weren't humans, or even animals. They were just obstacles.

Anna leaned over the dirty porcelain sink, her hands clasping the sides until her knuckles were whiter than the porcelain. Her reflection showed just how dead and ghostly she looked. She was just a shell of her former self.

She was a disgrace. She was sick and a murderer. How she ever thought she could be worth anything was beyond her. But if there was any chance of redeeming any of the horrors that she had done, she was going to try. She had to at least try to be the person Phil and her brother thought she was.

" _You have to get this under control, otherwise you'll blow your cover."_

Phil. The ghost.

She knew it wasn't real, but everywhere she went there was the chance of his ghost following her, speaking to her with words that only her ears could catch, the sight of him only her eyes could see. He was a hallucination, something her consciences created to make her feel bad and to remember the terrible past and to push towards a better future.

"I know," Anna muttered very softly in English. Everybody was asleep and nobody could possibly hear her.

Anna knew talking back to the fake Phil wasn't healthy, but she couldn't help but do it anywhere. The man that had been haunting her for months now was torture, but it was also a slight comfort. She got to see Phil again, she got to talk to him, hear the advice he always gave her while working with her. He was her uncle, her father, her superior and mentor. And she had him back for just a little while, even if it wasn't real.

Phil moved to lean up against the wall, right next to the towel rack. He crossed his arms, his head turned slightly to look at her. " _It wasn't your fault, you know,"_ he pressed.

"Sure it is," Anna protested. "I felt all of those emotions. I did the actions. I wanted to do them. I…" Anna's voice cracked. She closed her eyes and hung her head, trying to compose herself just a little so she could go on. Once she did that, she looked up, tears streaming down her face as she looked into Phil's eyes. "I wanted to kill you."

" _That wasn't you,"_ he said. " _It was Loki."_

Anna shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Loki's a pawn just as much as I was. His eyes were the same as mine…"

" _You don't know that for sure,"_ Phil said.

"You know how you always told me to trust my gut?" Anna asked.

" _Sure,"_ he answered with a nod.

"My guts telling me that. Doesn't mean I'm not pissed at Loki, that I hate what he did to me and Clint and our world. Will I ever forgive him? I don't know, but do I think it was all completely his fault? No. I mean, the Chitauri had to come from somewhere. Someone had to provide them to him."

" _That's an interesting angle,"_ Phil told her. " _You're going to be a great agent, Anna."_

"I'll never be as good as you or Clark, or Natasha and Clint."

" _That's what I thought when I first started out. So did your parents. And Clark. And everybody. You're doing just fine, Anna. You need to give yourself a break. It'll be the death of you otherwise."_

Anna sighed and let her head fall again. She closed her blue eyes tightly. She was so tired, but she knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep that night. But the words from the Phil or her conscience did make her feel a little bit better.

She raised her head, pushing the blond strands back with her shaky hand. She looked back over to where Phil had been and sighed, the ghost no longer there.

"Thanks, Philip. Good chat."

* * *

The mission wasn't all too long, and the intel gathered wasn't all too important, but Anna figured out that the intel wasn't the real reason for sending her back undercover in Russia. And in a way, it really helped her get her head clear and in the game. She could focus on her mission now without the constant thought of her actions and questioning them. She still, of course, had the nightmares and visions of Phil, but the nightmares were a bit better by mid November. She found she could get some rest and if she had the nightmares, she could fall back asleep after getting woken up.

It was by this point in November that Anna got the word that she had to return back to New York for another assignment, which she had no idea was yet. That didn't really matter though. Yassan's constant sweet nothings were starting to get on her nerves anyway. She'd miss the nightly companionship, but she was so ready to move on.

The excuse Yana gave to Yassan for her sudden relocation was rather simple: she didn't feel safe in one place, and she wanted to go visit the places her brother loved most, like France and England. He, of course, offered his accompaniment on this voyage, but she declined. She declined everything he offered, the bodyguards, the gun, and so on.

And when Anna finally left, and was so ready to move on and prove herself in the next mission Fury had for her. Anna was determined. She was going to be the agent they all knew she could be.

* * *

 **So, you got to see the Ghost of Phil, and you got to meet Yassan. The main reason I had him in it was to explain Anna's past and how she worked, as well as getting her back to work now, after everything. If anybody wants to see more of their interactions in the future, let me know and I'll see what we can do to include more undercover work. Let me know what you think in a review!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **WriterGirl1198**_ \- There's a point to the amount of time Clark's been in it. It's a reflection of his personality, and his presence in Anna's life. He's mentally and emotionally there for Anna whenever she needs him, pretty much, and he'd do anything for her, but physically he was almost never present once he was old enough to go off on his own in SHIELD. That's why I killed him off so fast.

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- Yeah, I'm not like Marvel. Once my person is dead, they're dead...at least in this story they are. Unless it's a marvel character, that is. Sorry, not sorry. Lol. Clark's intended purpose was to be there for her, and then die. There's a point to the amount of time Clark's been in it. It's a reflection of his personality, and his presence in Anna's life. He's mentally and emotionally there for Anna whenever she needs him, pretty much, and he'd do anything for her, but physically he was almost never present once he was old enough to go off on his own in SHIELD. That's why I killed him off so fast. It was supposed to be out of the blue and shocking.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ That's the intended purpose of having Clark die. It's to have Anna hit the lowest point she could get, and then manage to change herself.


	27. Relocation

**Disclaimer** **: I don't own anything Marvel, Avengers, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 26  
Relocation

Home, in this instance, was a loose term. Home was supposed to be the place where you were most comfortable, with the people you cared about most in the world. Anna, as of late, didn't have a home. No parents, no brother, no uncle. She still had Natasha and Clint, but they didn't exactly live close to her. So when Anna returned back from Russia (still blonde as ever, which was desperately wanted gone) Fury told her she was going to be relocated to Washington DC.

It wasn't so bad. Anna loved New York, but with no family around to keep her there, she was pretty excited to go. There was so much history in Washington, and despite how many times she had been there, she never got the chance to ever do the whole tourist thing. So Anna was pretty excited to get her history geek on.

But before that could happen, of course, Anna needed to pack up the NYC apartment and to clear out her desk in the SHIELD NYC HQ. Natasha was in town and had graciously offered her assistance that night, as long as Anna ordered dinner for the two of them, which she eagerly agreed to. She needed some girltime, and packing alone wouldn't be fun at all.

The first task was to clean out her desk though. Anna was really excited to get away from that office, though she was sure she'd be placed into an identical one once in DC, but at least she didn't have TweedleDee and TweedleDum to deal with.

And since it was Anna's last day, they definitely took advantage of their last change to degrade the young female agent as much as they could. Anna was sitting in the swivel chair, every drawer open in the desk as she emptied out everything. There were two boxes on the top of the desk, one for all of her personal belongings that she could keep, and the other for the SHIELD property she had to turn back in before leaving. There was far more in the SHIELD property box than her own private possessions, but she supposed that came from so many years of undercover work where she couldn't really have anything personal with her.

"You know, I bet she was fired," Darrick Victor muttered, leaning back in his chair lazily. He was TweedleDee in her mind. After all, he was the instigate.

Anna just went on and ignored him though. She had expected this when she came in with the boxes in the middle of the work day. She knew the assholes would make comments about her work ethic, and her femininity. They were just assholes that way.

"Yeah, I'm surprised they kept her on as long as they have," Leonard Halldor added with a chuckle. "I mean, I heard she fucked things up on the Helicarrier during the Battle of New York. Don't know why they'd let _her_ on there to begin with but…"

"Or why they'd assign Captain America to her when he first woke up," Victor said. "Maybe Fury's got a thing for the young ones."

"She is technically legal now…"

"And I'll admit, she is pretty cute. And that ass…"

 _Oh God, please just kill me now,_ Anna thought, gritting her teeth in order to prevent herself from doing something she probably _wouldn't_ regret. _I can't wait to never have to see their damn faces again._

"You know this means we can't go make her get us coffee anymore?" Halldor said.

"Damn," Victor groaned.

Anna closed the drawers and grabbed her personal box, leaving the other one right on top of the desk to be collected by one of the workers later. She turned, her eyes just meeting both of the men sitting behind her. She glared, but said nothing as she continued away. She was going to be the better person and just keep walking.

 _Goodbye and good riddance,_ Anna thought.

* * *

There wasn't all that much in the apartment to begin with, so there wasn't too much work for them to do. All of Anna's clothes, excluding what she was going to be wearing the next day, was all packed up. Her things for tomorrow were in the bathroom with her hygiene products so she could use them and then throw them all into the same backpack before leaving in the SUV the next day (along with the comforter and the pillow she'd be sleeping with.

The kitchen's pots and pans, as well as the silverware and the dishes were all packed up, and they'd be eating off of paper plates for dinner. The fridge had been cleaned out, and everything thrown away or given to the neighbors. All of the non perishables were donated that morning to the shelter down the street. All that ws left was to pack up the things in the living room, which really only consisted of some blankets, some picture frames, a couple throw pillows, books, movies, and Phil's Captain America memorabilia.

"The pizza should be on it's way," Anna told her, bringing in another batch of newspaper to wrap around the valuable Captain America stuff.

"Thank God," Natasha exclaimed. "You know, I never realized just how much crap Phil had."

" _It's not crap, it's vintage. You wouldn't understand it's importance."_

Anna glanced up, her eyes meeting Phil as he stood over Natasha, looking over her shoulder as she wrapped up a set of glass Howling Commandos figurines. He crossed his arms and scowled like a small child. It took everything Anna had to not laugh. Instead she just shrugged, plopping down on the couch to rest for a minute as she wrapped up a vintage glass. "He wouldn't be happy you called his stuff crap," Anna told her.

"Well, doesn't really matter now, does it?" Nat said. "I can't get scolded for it."

"That makes me feel obligated to scold you now," Anna laughed.

"Phil would be proud!" the redhead laughed back. "How've you been anyway? I know we've seen each other in passing, but we haven't really talked."

"It's different," Anna said. "Very different."

"Nothing ever stays the same," Nat reminded her.

"I know," Anna said. "I know that more than most, its just..."

"Losing both Coulson and Clark in a short amount of time is a lot to deal with," she finished for her in understanding.

Anna sighed and glanced up, watching as the illusion of Phil tried to organize one of the boxes in the corner filled with his things. How was she supposed to completely move on when she'd see and/or talk to him at least once a day? She wasn't seeing Clark. Why didn't she see her brother?

Honestly, she knew the answer to that. She didn't actually blame Clark's death on herself. She liked to beat herself up for not being able to help him while he was undercover, but the job had been assigned to him and him along, not their dual undercover work like before. But even if she had been mentally well enough to work, she wouldn't have been on that job with him. She couldn't have been there to help him get people out of the fire, and she wouldn't have been able to save him.

Phil, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Anna couldn't let the excuse that it wasn't her fault because she was being controlled justify her actions. She may not have been able to break the control (after all, Clint couldn't either and he was a whole lot stronger than Anna was), but that didn't mean that she didn't betray Phil, and feel the pleasure that was caused by the control, and the thrill she got from giving into the darkness, just as Loki said.

She may not have been in control of her actions or feelings, but at the time, and still now, those feelings were still so real. She had felt them. And she was disgusted with herself because of that. Not just because it was Phil and other people she worked with, but because it was all against her morals. She always felt so guilty after taking the life of someone, even if it wasn't someone that was all that good. It was still a life.

"You okay?" Natasha asked, breaking her train of thought.

"Uh yeah, sorry," she muttered, pulling her hair back out of her face into a ponytail. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she answered.

"Do you ever, you know, see ghosts?" Anna asked.

"Sixth Sense kind of ghosts or just people that we've lost and are bothered by?" Nat asked.

"Second one," Anna said.

Natasha sighed, her eyes staring at the box in front of her. There were only two reasons for that silence: she did see them, or she had at some point. Anna recognized the look on herself while looking in the mirror in the middle of the night. Her silence was answer enough. At least she wasn't going crazy, she wasn't alone.

There was a knock on the door and Anna stood up, the conversation dropped completely. It didn't need to be finished. The silence was answer enough.

* * *

It didn't take too long for Anna to get unpacked and settled into the apartment just on the outside of DC. It was far too expensive for her to live in the heart of DC, or even in DC alone. She was staying outside in Alexandria, Virginia. The traffic was murder and crazy, so different with their signs than New York. There were a lot more signs to let you know further out which exit you'd take in New York. Anna found that the it wasn't the same case in DC.

Driving was a nightmare, so sometimes Anna would end up taking the metro into DC, then walk the rest of the way to the Triskelion. There was a stop close enough to it anyway so it wasn't that bad. If she needed to get around during the work day, she'd just take one of the SHIELD SUVs they could sign out.

She had a couple days to settle in before she was to report to work, so she unpacked, got to know the town a bit, and then did the whole tourist thing in DC. She did all the monuments, the museums (and took a whole day in the Captain America exhibit). Overall, it was fun and completely amazing to see all of that history. Her inner geek had died and went to heaven.

When she finally did go into work, she was doing pretty much the same exact things she had been doing in the office in New York. She didn't know why she was relocated, and Fury wasn't letting on yet, but she assumed she'd find out eventually. But in order to make the days go by faster, and so she wouldn't kill herself because of the desk job, whenever Natasha and Clint were around, Anna would train with them.

Anna's fighting skills were getting better and better each day, ,and though the two other agents didn't necessarily tell her or compliment her on the improvement, it was fairly obvious by how long she managed to keep the spar going compared to how their past spars used to be. She still often found herself on her ass like before, but it took for longer for that to happen, and once in a blue moon, Anna would win.

Maybe that was one of the real reasons Fury had made this change. Maybe she was supposed to train with them more to become a better solo field agent. It wasn't an unwelcome thought. This was one of the reasons Anna joined SHIELD, or well, stayed, she supposed. The real change she wanted to make in the world. To do the hard work so that others wouldn't have to suffer through it.

And all that change was making Anna change her outlook on some things. This was a new beginning. A new place to live, a new adventure. She was going to make the most of this change.

Anna was going to be a new Anna.

* * *

 **So, short chapter so I'm sorry about that, but it's really setting up for major future events. Even though it was short and mellow, hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you think!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **19irene96**_ \- Yeah, it's supposed to be interesting and different than how Anna's acted previously, both during and off mission. It just goes to show how she can put up a character for her personas.

 _ **KaiaSnowfall**_ \- If I reveal what happens, I'd have to kill you. ;) So no answer on that front, sorry. I'm so happy you like the story though!

 _ **Wr1terGirl1198**_ \- Yeah, I have a hard time doing it too. In one of my other stories, the OC's older brother was supposed to die, but I couldn't do it because I love him so much, so I killed her parents instead. lol

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ I think you may have this Viktor mixed up with another Marvel character, because this guy is just someone I made up. Sorry!

 _ **crimsonbloodmoon1**_ \- Thank you, I'm so glad you like it!

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- Yeah, that's something I really wanted to work on in my writing. I really want to show the emotions of the characters and show how human they are. And it won't be too long until movies start again.


	28. Frantic

**Disclaimer** **: I don't own anything Marvel, Avengers, Iron Man 3, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 27  
Frantic

No missions. Not a single _measly_ mission.

Anna was going stir crazy, to say the least. It was like Spring Fever without it being Spring.

Day in and day out, Anna would start off with meetings, have lunch, paperwork, and then training before she'd go home later that night, eat a very late dinner, and get up to do it all over again. It was boring, and tiresome, and that was just the bureaucracy work. The training was the highlight of her day.

But that highlight had been robbed from her as of late, as Natasha and Clint were away on their own respective missions. Anna was left alone to train by herself, but that was never as fun, nor was it as beneficial. So the days dragged on, and each second that went by, Anna contemplated blowing her brains out right then and there on the conference room table.

She didn't even understand why she was there, to be honest. She was sitting in with three other teams, similar, but differing from Captain Rogers' STRIKE team, but teams that deal with slightly different, lesser drastic and dyer situation. Anna wasn't part of a team, nor was she even going out into the field as of late. And why have her train with Nat and Clint if Fury wanted her to be more of a solo agent like them? It was definitely giving her mixed messages.

It was bearable though. At least she was learning something. She'd keep the tactics and logistics of it all in her head in case she found herself in a situation she was put up against a team and needed to make sure she didn't get caught, or something along those lines. Plus, it'd come in handy if she was one a team someday.

The only thing that really made her want to storm out of there though happened to be the two guys sitting across from her during the meetings. Ryan O'Hagan was a twenty-seven-year-old agent with light blonde hair and light brown eyes. He was the head of one of those quick acting black op teams that was a step down from what would be considered STRIKE. His second in command was sitting right beside him. Ricky Dadney was two years his younger at twenty-five with dark black hair and even darker eyes.

O'Hagan and Dadney were two younger, more subtle versions of Agents Victor and Halldor, aka Tweedledee and Tweedledum. They would pay attention to the meeting for the most part, but Anna would catch them making snide comments to one another while always looking at her, smirking and snickering.

Anna had hoped to leave the childishness back in New York.

She distracted herself by paying attention to what she was supposed to though, and thankfully, after a dreadfully long morning, it was time for lunch, marking the end of the meetings she had to attend for the day. Before anybody could stop her, Anna rushed out of the office, her papers and files all stacked on top of each other in a pile in her arms. She, of course, was more focused on getting out of there and not dropping her paperwork that she walked out and ran right into somebody, dropping everything she had been trying not to.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. She knelt down and started to quickly pick up her things so not to block the hallway any longer than was necessary. "I'm sorry," she said a bit louder so the other person, who was kneeling beside her to help pick up everything. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

Anna heard a scoff behind her, and as she was picking everything up, turned her head to see O'Hagan and Dadney walking out, smirking as they saw her.

 _Great, another thing for them to joke about,_ Anna thought, turning her head down to the floor as she moved faster to pick everything up. _This is high school all over again._

"No, it was my fault," the man said, standing up once he got everything he could. "I'm sor-oh, Anna. Hi."

Anna looked up from her position on the floor, and her eyes landed on a slightly surprised Captain Rogers. She smiled, and turned a bit red because of she was making a fool of herself, but stood up and spoke with comfort and confidence that she always seemed to use when it came to him. "Oh, hi," she said. "How are you, Steve?"

"Oh, you know, I'm alive," Steve answered. "And yourself?"

"Oh, you know, morning full of meetings you'd wish you could listen to when you can't sleep at night. I swear, those meetings will put anybody to sleep anytime of the day, no matter how many cups of coffee are in your system," Anna rambled. Her eyes fell to the papers in his hands, and she moved forward to take them. "Shoot, I'm sorry. Let me take those from you. I'm sorry I ran into you!"

"Oh, that's okay. You're not hurt, right?" Steve said, making sure everything got back to her.

"Oh no. I'm stronger than that," Anna said.

"What was up with Agent O'Hagan and Agent Dadney?" Steve asked.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," she insisted. "You coming in for meetings?"

"No, I was just on my way out, actually," Steve answered. "I was going to go get lunch if…you know, you'd like to join me? I, if you can, I mean, I know you're important and busy and all…."

Anna scoffed. "Important and busy," she laughed. "Yeah, right. I'd love to go out to lunch. Do you mind if I drop these off at my desk first?"

"Here, let me help you with those," Steve offered, taking part of the stack for her.

"Oh, ever the gentleman," Anna chuckled, embarrassing the man.

Making him red was just too much fun. Anna couldn't resist.

* * *

The streets were busy, the air cold. It was almost Christmas, after all, and everybody was scurrying about getting Christmas presents. Anna and Steve walked side by side down the sidewalk until they got to the quaint little diner. It was packed, but they were seated relatively quickly in the back in a booth.

Steve ordered a healthy balance of a triple bacon cheeseburger with French fries, onion rings, a chocolate milkshake, and two slices of apple pie. Anna just ordered a burger and fries.

"So, how have you been?" Steve asked. "Busy, I bet. I thought you were living in New York though."

"I was up until a couple weeks ago," Anna answered. "Though I was in Russia from mid July to mid November. I've been stuck in meetings since I got here."

"Why the move?" he asked.

"Why else? Fury relocated me. Still hasn't exactly told me why though," she said. "I didn't think I did that bad of a job to be moved here for a desk job."

"A desk job?" he asked. "I thought you'd be out in the field."

"Me too, especially since he has me training with Agents Romanoff and Barton whenever they're here. Instead he's put me in covert team meetings about tactics and whatnot. It's a whole bunch of mixed signals."

"Sounds like he's grooming you for a leadership position," Steve said.

"What?" Anna gaped. "No, Fury wouldn't do that. I mean, I'm eighteen for Pete's sake!"

Steve chuckled. "I didn't mean for anytime soon. Just sounds like he's trying to get your feet wet in every aspect of the job. Kinda makes me think he'll want you in a leadership position at some point."

"You really think so?" she asked.

"Sure, I saw it when I was in the military too. West Point CO's would be put in the field for a mission or two before they'd get promoted and moved back to brass," Steve said.

"I don't really want to lead anybody," Anna admitted.

"Maybe you won't be leading. Maybe you'll be following," he offered.

"I'm a lot better at doing that," she said, nodding her head. "But enough about me. How are you?"

"I'm okay. I keep busy," he said. "I've got a bunch of stuff I've been catching up on. You know, pop culture kinds of things."

"Ah, how's that coming?" Anna questioned.

"Okay, I guess," Steve said with a shrug. "I've been watching a lot of holiday movies because of the Christmas season."

"Do you have any plans for Christmas?" Anna asked.

Steve shook his head, his eyes moving to the front windows at the front of the restaurant. "No, not really. You?"

"No," she said.

"You're not spending it with your brother? What was his name again…Clark?" Steve asked.

"Uh, no." Anna cleared her throat. "Clark died on a job in July," she clarified.

"Oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry, Anna," Steve offered.

"It's okay," Anna said. "He died a hero, doing what he loved. I'm proud of him."

"That's a good way to look at it," Steve said.

"So no plans? You're more than welcome to come over and visit. I can make us a festive dinner. It's not like I have anybody else to celebrate with," Anna offered.

"I wouldn't want to impose," Steve replied.

"Nonsense," Anna protested. "You'd never be imposing. The company would be welcomed."

"Well, if you're sure."

"Then it's settled!"

* * *

Tony. It was _always_ Tony. The number one stressed in Anna's life other than herself was always and forever would be Anthony Edward Stark.

He was all over the news again, the headline across the screen was "Stark Issues Threat." Anna had missed the alert on her phone because she was in meetings, but the second one she definitely didn't miss. She rushed to her computer and went to one of the new sites just in time to see the replay of the missile shot from one of three helicopters towards Tony's house.

"Oh my God," Anna gasped.

Missile after missile went into the building and the side of the cliff, knocking half of the building off the foundation with the figure of Iron Man going down in the living room after it, but not before Tony managed to take out two of the helicopters (one he shot down, the other he hit with the piano from the living room). The next article was of the Tony's death.

Now, the Mandarin was a terrorist that had recently been attacking places in the US rather randomly. Anna did a little bit of research while she was at the desk to find out that Happy was in the hospital after another rone of the Mandarin's confirmed attack at the Chinese Theater.

"No, no, no, no, no," she muttered under her breathe and she left the desk and quickly tried to go straight into Director Fury's office.

Instead, right when she was about to go in, she saw he was sitting with a couple people in a meeting. Not wanting to get fired, Anna waited outside the office, leaning up against the wall desperately trying to call Pepper, but wasn't getting anywhere. Once he escorted them out and nodded for Anna to follow him in, she walked in.

"If this is about you going to Malibu because of Mr. Stark and the Mandarin, you can rethink it because you're not," Fury told her before they were even seated.

That kinda pissed her off. "May I ask why?"

"Because we already have agents at the scene," Fury answered, taking his seat. "We have it handled."

"Handled? They're saying Tony's dead, and I can't get a hold of Pepper," Anna pressed.

"We used thermal imaging to scan the site and we haven't found any signs of Mr. Stark's body. Changes are he isn't dead," Fury said.

"You really think that?" Anna asked, honestly asking to see if it'd make her feel better.

"Mr. Stark's made it through worse scenarios, Agent Carr," Fury reminded her.

"That doesn't explain why I can't go," she pressed.

"Because you're needed here," he told her.

"Sitting through meetings. Meetings I have no idea why I'm even sitting in," Anna said. "Why was I relocated to DC, Director?"

"You'll see soon enough. I'm waiting for some things to go through before I tell you, but until then, just do as you're told," Fury said. "And before you ask, not not because you're a child, it's because that's what agents do. They follow orders."

God, being talked down to like that really pissed her off. There wasn't much else Anna could do but let him do it though. Anna may be slightly hot headed and have a mouth on her, but she was respectful.

"Once things cool down, you can go to Malibu," Fury said. "But until then, you have work to do here. Plus, I hear Captain Rogers is going to your place for Christmas. Can't have him alone on his first Christmas here, can we?"

Anna stood up and nodded dejectedly. "No, Sir. We can't."

* * *

By the time Christmas morning came around, and Steve made his way to Anna's place, Tony's survival, as well we the whole story was plastered all over the news. A man named Killian had planned the whole thing with the Vice President, and so on, Pepper had been injected with something that Killian and his think tank at AIM created. Anna couldn't bring herself to turn the TV off though, which she repeatedly apologized for to Steve.

"Don't worry about it," Steve said. "I understand."

"Understand what?" she questioned.

"Your worry," Steve clarified. "You care about Tony."

"Yeah, I do. Vice versa? Not so much anymore," Anna admitted.

"Yeah, I kinda got all that when we were all on the Helicarrier," Steve said, nodding. "What exactly happened between you two?"

"I went undercover as his ward for several months. We got close. I still consider him family, and he considered me family too until he found out I was working for SHIELD. I don't blame him for hating me, to be honest. I'd probably hate me too. I mean, I kinda already do so…"

"Hey, you can't think like that," Steve told her. "You're put in hard situations and you do really well, if you ask me. I've never met someone like you before."

"Thanks Steve, that's sweet to hear from you," Anna said. "I just hope someday he'll hear me out. Listen to my side of the story so I can tell him that I didn't fake caring about him."

"Tony's difficult, but I wouldn't give up hope," Steve assured her. "And if it's taking too long, I'll go talk to him."

"I don't want to cause any trouble," Anna said.

"It's no trouble. It's what family does," Steve said.

Steve Rogers, family. Huh, that wasn't something she very thought possible. But, if Steve thought of her that highly, who was she to deny him some satisfaction? After all, he needed someone there for him more any anybody. He deserved it more than anybody. And the thought of having a family again made her heart swell. She was filled with a warmness she hadn't felt in a while.

Anna smiled genuinely for the first time in months.

* * *

It wasn't until mid-January that Anna was finally given time to go to Malibu to see Tony and Pepper, who were temporarily staying in a beach house until they finalized moving to New York City into his tower, which was still under some renovations after everything from the Battle of New York.

During the wait, Anna had found out that Pepper had been curried from whatever Killian had injected into her, Tony had his arc reactor and shrapnel removed from his chest, and Happy woke up and was in stable condition. It seemed like her trip was a little too late to be of any use and/or support for anybody there, but she had to go to make sure everybody was okay with her own eyes. It'd make her feel better.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

Anna didn't even know how she was going to approach talking to Tony. She knew she should've planned something to say, and scenarios of possible ways it could go, but whenever she tried, she nearly gave herself a panic attack. She still regretted not trying harder as she stood outside the door to the beach house, already having knocked on the door.

What was she supposed to do, just say: "Hey, how's it going? Heard shit hit the fan. Know how that feels. Why want grab dinner and share war stories?" Yeah, right! That's definitely go over well.

The door swung open quickly, and without looking, Tony bit into a peach he held in his hand. He obviously knew it was her by the way he was blocking off the inside of the place, not even addressing her properly. "What?" he demanded.

"I uh, you were, I just…" Anna stammered, getting Tony to look up at her oddly. He definitely hadn't expected her to be speechless. Usually when they were confronting one another, she had wittier comebacks that that. "Hi…"

Tony eyes her for a moment before he sighed and opened the door to let her in. "I suppose you want to come in," he said, walking into the place.

Anna nodded and walked in, closing the door behind her. She awkwardly made her way into the house. It was so different then his old place. This one wasn't really modern. It was definitely beach themed with white, yellows and blues. Her eyes went back to Tony after quickly scanning her surroundings instinctively.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Peachy," he answered, biting into the fruit.

"And Pepper? Happy? They're well too?" Anna pressed, keeping her distance from Tony. She didn't want to make herself seem at home at all. That's be rude and insensitive to his feelings.

"They're fine, getting better," he answered. "Not that you really care."

Anna sighed heavily. "Don't say that. It's not true. Of course I care."

"Right, so where were you when shit hit the fan?" Tony questioned, throwing the rest of his peach away.

"I tried to come, Tony, but-"

"More excuses and lies? Right, just as I'd expect from a spy," he muttered, turning his back to her. "Tell me something, do you even feel anything when you lie, or are you as heartless as you seem?"

"Heartless? You think I'm heartless? That I don't feel anything?" Anna scoffed, anger boiling her blood. She shook her head, hot, angry tears welling up in her eyes. God, she hated that she was an angry crier.

"Of course, it's in the job description, isn't it?" Tony asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "Then again, maybe it isn't. After all Coulson isn't heartless, and neither are Romanoff and Barton. I guess it's just you. Phil would be so disappointed to see how you've turned out." That was a low blow and he knew it.

"You have no idea what kind of shit I've gone through! No idea what I feel!" Anna screamed, something in her finally snapping. "Don't you dare tell me I'm cold, and that I have no feelings because I damn well do!" Tony turned around completely shocked at her sudden outburst. Even when she lived with him, even when he went off at her before, she never reacted like this. "I feel more than you could ever know. I care about you and Pepper and Happy and everybody, Tony! Don't you ever fucking insist that I don't!"

She just couldn't take it anymore. She was so tired of keeping everything in. She was tired of feeling so guilty, and taking the brunt of everybody's anger and disappointment, even her own. She was so sick and tired of being berated and looked down upon by her fellow colleagues. Anna was there to do good. She was trying to be the best agent she could be, and Fury took note of that, even Maria Hill did now. She backed off after she proved herself. But their leader at SHIELD didn't seem to reassure anybody else that Anna was capable of anything other than filing.

She knew she shouldn't have taken any of it to heart. She could only let people make her feel small if she let them. She knew her worth. But after so many year of being put down, she just couldn't take it anymore.

Anna turned away, running her fingers through her hair before pulling it back into a ponytail so she wouldn't have to deal with it. "And don't ever remind me of how much of a disappointment I'd be to Phil, because I remind myself every damn day about that."

Anna's voice was dying down, her anger dissipating and transforming more into self-loathing. She turned around, her blue eyes filled with tears, which shocked him. He knew she was mad, but why the hell was she crying? Did she cry when she was mad? Was she one of those people?

"You weren't there when he died, Tony. You didn't see him fighting until the very end. You didn't see him beg me to stop. You didn't see the fear in his eyes _. I_ did. _I_ was there. And I know how much of a disappointment I'd be to him because _I'm the one that killed him_. I shot him and killed him, Tony, so yeah, I know I'm a disappointment.

"I don't really know if there's anybody else to really disappoint in my life though. I mean, I disappointed you, obviously. And now I'm really a disappointment now that you know this. Clint and Nat would hate me for it. I know Fury didn't like it. If my brother knew he would've been mad, but he died before he could find out. And even then, I wasn't even around for him when he needed me most, so yeah, I'm just one big disappointment, hurting everybody I start to care about so I'm so fucking sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I'm sorry for existing."

Anna turned, covering her mouth as she quickly turned and ran out the door back to the SUV. She fumbled with her keys once she got to the far side of the car, the driver side facing away from the house. The keys slipped from her fingers and to the ground, and Anna was just so messed up in that moment that that little clumsy moment was enough to start her full on sobbing. She turned around, her back pressed to the cold metal of the door to the SHIELD vehicle and slid down to the ground, her have covering her face as she let the sobs out.

As much as Anna hated crying and showing weakness, it felt so good to let everything out. Her sobs were so loud, and her vision so clouded with tears that she didn't hear nor see Tony come out and follow her. The sight of her broken down next to the car pained his heart.

Of course, Tony was still mad at her, but he had no idea how much pain she was in. Not until she went off on him like that. He had no idea that she was forced to kill Phil. That was like forcing him to kill Rhodey. Or even just losing Rhodey. He was his best friend and like a brother to him. Anna had lost both her best friend, her uncle, and her brother.

And on top of that, she said she loved him.

Tony sat down next to her and remained silent until her sobs slowed down. Once she stopped sobbing and she could breathe, he let her sit there and get over her embarrassment for having him see her like that. It was so weird to see her so vulnerable and broken like that. She'd always appeared so strong. She knew exactly what she was doing and everybody around her could feel that, even if they didn't admit it.

"You okay now?" Tony asked slowly.

"No," she muttered, sniffling. Her voice cracked and was hoarse. "You hate me. I'm not okay with that."

Tony sighed heavily. "I don't hate you," he admitted. "I'm mad, but you know me, I'll get over it eventually."

Anna cautiously glanced up at him. "Really?" she asked meekly.

"Yeah, kid," he told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"You didn't call me alien," Anna pointed out, leaning her head again his shoulder.

"Yeah, kinda got ruined when we actually met one…"

Anna chuckled softly. "Yeah, I see your point," she admitted. "I really am sorry, Tony. You know that, right? I never meant to hurt you, or anybody."

"I know. I know. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry too," Tony offered.

"For what?" Anna asked.

"Being me. Sometimes I have to apologize for that," he said.

Anna just chuckled and leaned into him more, wrapping her arms around him. "Thanks, Tony."

"No problem, Kiddo. Anytime," he said, leaning his head against her's hesitantly. It was still a bit unsure of all this, but he was just gonna go for it. "Hey, Kiddo?"

"Yeah?" she asked, peering up at him.

"I love you too."

A smile slowly grew onto Anna's lips. Tony had never told her that before, not even while she lived with him. And there were no words to describe how happy and warm that made her feel. Feeling loved was exactly what she needed. What they both needed.

* * *

 **Yay, so much in this chapter! There's new bullies, Steve, and making up with Tony! It's about damn time, right? I almost made it go a lot longer, but I was really tired of it, to be honest. He was supposed to still be upset with her going into the Sequel, but like I said, I'm too tired of it, and I'm happy with the way it's turned out though. I hope you guys liked the chapter, and please leave a review to let me know what you thought.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ Lol no, and I forgot about Viktor from Arrow. Silly me. No, it's not but that would've been a funny little thing wouldn't it? No, unfortunately Jamie won't be in this story. It would've been cool to do it if I had started the stories at the same time, but now it would be too difficult with how I did the other movies with Jamie and with how things are going to be with Anna. Let me know if you ever put those fan stories down on paper (or a doc lol). I'd love to read them.

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- Hey, look, you so called Tony coming back and making Anna feel better! I hope you liked it. I know it wasn't too much of a fatherly roll, but at least he's here and they're on speaking terms now.


	29. Reassigned

**Disclaimer** **: I don't own anything Marvel, Avengers, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 28  
Reassigned

Things were really starting to feel a bit better for Anna. Things with Tony were looking up. Now the two would text each other every so often with pointless little giffs or memes. It wasn't exactly a whole forgiven thing that she really wanted, but it was definitely a step closer to making things right. It wasn't just things with Tony either. Work life was looking up just a little bit. Nat and Clint were still away on missions, but Steve was around and he offered to fill in for sparing with her. It was a hell of a beat down, but how else was she supposed to learn and get better if she didn't fall and pick herself back up? They'd even get lunch together at least once a week.

Things were definitely feeling a bit better for Anna. Or, that was until Maria Hill showed up at her desk and instructed her to follow her. She didn't even tell her where they were going. She just left her down hallway after hallway in silence. Yeah, an afternoon with the person she loved most at SHIELD! What a wonderful end to the work day…

"Where are we going?" Anna questioned for the third time.

Hill sighed and turned to give Ana that signature glare she always wore. "Your new assignment," Hill said. "This is why you were moved to DC in the first place."

"Wait, really?" Anna asked a bit more excitedly. She walked a bit fast and moved to walk next to Hill. "You guys are finally telling me why?"

"I insisted that you sit through tactical planning meetings to get a feel and understanding for the work before throwing you into training and the field with the team," Hill answered.

Tactical planning meetings. Team. Shit, why didn't she realize that was exactly what they were doing? "You're putting me on a team?" Anna gaped, her facial expression showing a bit of a disgruntled and annoyed look. "Really?"

Hill stopped and turned directly to Anna, her expression annoyed that they were even having this conversation to begin with. They were standing in front of one of the glass doors to one of the conference rooms. She crossed her arms over her chest, straightening her back to make herself look bigger. She liked to show and remind everybody of her authority. "Is there a problem?"

"I just," Anna muttered, trying to rack her brain for a good way to put it. "Is this really the wisest idea?" Anna asked. Anna had been working her whole life to be able to do her solo undercover work, and then to do exactly what Phil did. She was a solo agent. She didn't exactly work on a team with team dynamics. She was a follower, not a member. She didn't even know how to work in a team! She'd probably just end up getting somebody else killed. "I mean; I don't have any experience in this field. I've always been undercover work, or under a supervisor. Even then, it's pretty much all solo work."

"Fury wants you to get your feet wet here, Carr," Hill told her. "Every field agent does something like this at least some point in their career. You've worked fine under people before. Just follow your orders and your instincts. You'll be fine."

Anna just stood there, slightly shocked at the words that came out of Maria's mouth. "Did you just compliment me?" Anna asked, a small smirk growing on her lips. "You complimented me."

"No, I didn't," Hill protested.

"Yes you did," Anna chuckled. "Have we moved passed our little love-hate relationship, Agent Hill?"

"No," Hill reiterated. "There is one thing I want to discuss with you though." Hill opened the door into the empty conference room and lead the young brunette inside. Hill laid out the files she had been carrying in her arms across the table. "These are the personnel files for the members of the team."

"Okay, so you want me to go over them? Get a feel for the people I'll be working with before I meet them?" Anna asked, opening the first file closest to her. She picked it up and brought it closer to her face to get a better look at it.

"Agent Neil MacFarlane. Male. Twenty-four years old. American citizen. Born in Chicago. Red hair. Green eyes. Languages: English. Title: Pilot," Anna read off before glancing back up at Agent Hill. Anna put down the file and picked up another.

"Marcus Alenko. Age twenty-four. Black hair but shaves it off. Brown eyes. Born in Spain, but emigrated to the US at the age of four. Languages: English and Spanish. Title: Sniper." Anna put down that file as well and crossed her arms. "I don't see anything that out of place, to be honest. Then again, these are just facts. There's not substance, no background."

"The five of them have been working together for about a year and a half now. They've gone on a good deal of work, but something doesn't exactly feel right about some of their missions," Hill told her.

"So, you think they're dirty?" Anna asked, furrowing her brow.

"I don't know," Hill said. "Something's not right. If it's not all of them, it's at least one. Some of the reports just don't add up. Or they add up too well."

"Too rehearsed?" Anna asked.

"Exactly," Hill agreed. "Until we know who it is, or all of them, we can't trust them. But we can't let them know we're onto them."

"Right. That's give the element of surprise away," Anna said, nodding in agreement. "It's one thing if they're acting alone or on their own accord, but if they're reporting to someone not on the team we couldn't afford to give ourselves away."

"That's why we're sending you in. You're less suspicious than any other agent," Hill said. "As much as it pains me to say this, I don't trust anybody else to put into this."

Anna nodded. "I understand," Anna said.

"You have to be even more careful on this assignment, Anna," Hill told her. "The last agent we had place don the team ended up never coming back…"

"They took out their own teammate?" Anna gaped.

"They said they lost him on one of the jobs, but something didn't feel right about it. When we went to search for his body where they claimed they left him, he was nowhere to be found," Hill said. "Agent William James was reporting in to me. And he said he had some evidence that he couldn't quite figure out, and that he wanted to discuss it in person, but…"

"That's when they killed him," Anna finished. "Okay, so work with them, spy on them, and report anything out of the ordinary to you?"

"Yes," Hill said, sliding her a small business card shaped piece of paper with a single phone number written on it. "Only report to this number if you have something. Don't put it in any of your devices. Memorize it. And after you call, delete your call log. Leave no trace whatsoever, you hear me? Don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Yes Ma'am," Anna said, picking up another file. "So, when do I meet them?" she asked.

"Right after you're done here."

* * *

Of all the people Anna had to be placed under to follow commands from, it just had to be Ryan O'Hagan, didn't it? Ryan O'Hagan, the man that would laugh, mock, and berate her with his second in command, Ricky Dadney. Of course Anna would be placed in their Op team. Anna knew they were bad company, but she never would've thought they were into something so bad that Agent Hill was concerned.

Then again, maybe they were just dicks and weren't the ones. Or the whole team could be. Or it could be the SciTech guy they had, Tucker Collend: the twenty-five-year-old genius. Or the pilot, MacFarlane. The sniper guy, Marcus Alenko, could've easily taken out Agent William James…

 _Gah, I'm so paranoid now,_ Anna thought, scolding herself. _First, just meet the people, Anna. Don't get ahead of yourself._

Hill and Anna walked into the private training room to make their meeting, only about thirty minutes late. Hill had informed her that she liked to do that to people, especially Anna. Anna at least had it in herself now to find that a bit funny. Though, at least the reasoning behind this was important. And Hill always kills every second of her time with important work. Anna had a new understanding for Hill, she supposed.

Still didn't mean she liked to be kept waiting.

Once in the room, the five-man team snapped around to see Hill and their new teammate. O'Hagan and Dadney were standing off to the left together, leaning against some gym equipment as they talked before turning to eye up Anna, who was in her blue stealth uniform instead of her usual suit. MacFarlane and Alekno were standing to the left, animatedly talking about some video game so something, while the SciTech guy was at the other side of the small room tinkering with a sat phone.

"Agents," Hill greeted. "This is Agent Carr. She'll be your new teammate to replace Agent James."

Alenko leaned over to MacFarlane and whispered no so quietly, "A girl on the team? Cool. And she's cute."

Anna just rolled her eyes and remained silent, standing as straight as she could to make herself look more important and confident than she was really feeling right now. She knew she could do the job, but God, why did it have to be under O'Hagan and Dadney?

"I'm sorry, Agent Hill, but when you said Agent Carr was going to be joining us I just kinda thought…well…" O'Hagan rambled.

"You'd be getting Clark?" Anna offered.

"Well, Yes," O'Hagan answered.

"Well, unfortunately for you, the only living Agent Carr there is just so happens to be Anna," Hill told them. "As of now, she's under your authority."

"Ma'am, I really don't-"

"Anna, would you excuse us for a moment?" Hill asked, nodding for her to go further into the room so her, Dadney and O'Hagan could talk. Anna nodded and went to lean up against the far wall as she talked to the two leaders, while MacFarlane and Alenko eavesdropped to try and hear them getting scolded.

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother."

Anna had nearly forgotten about Agent Tucker Collend a couple feet from her. She almost jumped at his sudden words. She turned her head, her eyes meeting his soft brown ones. He had a long face, and was rather lanky and thin. He definitely wasn't in shape enough to be a field agent, which obviously he wasn't. He didn't even go out of the quin-jet during their missions. He was in charge of all their equipment and talking them through defusing bombs and whatnot, after all. He wasn't the muscle. That was Anna, O'Hagan, and Dadney's job description.

"Oh, thanks," Anna said. It seemed he was the only one that really got that Hill had told them he was dead.

"It's a shame he died. He was a good man. A good agent," he said. He glanced up from the phone he was working on.

"You knew my brother?" she asked, even more interested what he had to say.

"Only in passing," he answered, standing up, towering over the much shorter girl. "I made a couple things for him on a couple occasions."

Anna nodded and offered her hand. She had to pretend like she had no idea who the guy was anyway. May as well get acquainted now. "I'm Anna," she offered.

"You can call me Tuck," he answered, shaking her hand. "Nice to have you on the team. Seems like you're mellower than they are. It'll be nice to have someone like that on the team."

"Well, at least someone's happy I'm here," she said.

"I'm sure Marcus is happy," Tuck said. "He'll like to look at you. Sorry."

Anna scoffed. "I rather that than being berated like O'Hagan and Dadney," Anna answered.

"Don't let him hear that," Tucker chuckled.

"Hear who say what?"

Marcus Alenko and Neil MacFarlane walked over, obviously bored with the argument going on between O'Hagan and Dadney.

Anna swiftfully turned to face the two new arrivals and smoothly said, "That joining a team isn't exactly my idea of fun."

"Aw, come on! We get all the action!" Marcus said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Speak for yourself," MacFarlane scoffed. "I like being nice and safe inside Jupiter, thank you very much."

"Jupiter?" Anna asked, raising a brow at the random name.

"Our jet," Tuck answered. "It's a step up from a quinjet, but it's smaller than one of the bus planes."

The quinjets were the fast, combat ready jets that were generally used to get places fast. There weren't really luxuries in them. Just seats on each side, a navigation station, and the cockpit. The much larger planes that were often called "Bus" were generally used by teams that were out in the field for long periods of time. They were stocked with a lab, bunks, kitchen, bar and so on. So "Jupiter" had to be something in between, like they said. Most like a place to sleep, bathroom, and a place to keep the weapons.

"Oh, so it's a semi long term missions we'll be going on," Anna thought out loud.

"Usually a night or two, if that," MacFarlane commented.

"So I guess I should pack a couple days' worth of clothes in my go bag."

"I bet you sleep in the finest of ling-"

MacFarlane elbowed him before he could get the chance to finish that sentence. "She's getting the farthest bunk from you, perv."

"Hey, I'm not a perv!" Marcus gaped.

"Yeah, sure," Tuck scoffed. "Don't scare her off. She's the only other sane one on the team."

"I don't know about sane," Anna admitted, "but I'm here to do a job and I'll do it because those are my orders. So-"

"Okay, Agent Carr," O'Hagan said, interrupting the brunette as he and Dadney joined the rest of the team. "It seems there's no changing this assignment, so we're stuck with you."

"Sweet!" Marcus exclaimed.

"I guess we'll sign the paperwork, make this ungodly transition permanent," O'Hagan said. "Come on, Carr. Follow me to my office."

Anna looked to Tuck, raising a brow as if asking him if O'Hagan was seriously treating her that way. Tucker shrugged in reply. How unprofessional could you be? Anna thought. Seriously, he didn't have to like her to work with her, and she didn't have to like him to follow his orders, if they were just.

"Carr, did you hear what I said?" O'Hagan snapped, turning around once he realized she wasn't following him out yet.

"Huh? Oh, uh," Anna thought, trying to give him a little payback. "Punch me in the face?"

"What? No, why the hell would you think that?" he demanded.

"Oh, uh, I guess it was just subtext," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she moved to follow him, smirking at the rest of the group as she went.

* * *

 **Brand new mission and purpose for out our Little Miss SHIELD. I really love having Anna interact with everybody on the team, and you'll definitely see more of that to come soon enough as well. I'm actually writing the last chapter for this story right now, so you'll have the to look forward too.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapters:

 _ **TheLightningDreamer**_ \- Maybe she'll put them in their place, maybe she won't. I mean, Anna never did it back in New York, so why would she go out of her way to do that here? She just likes to keep the peace, and she doesn't like to cause any trouble. And I agree, Anna and Bucky will definitely get along. ;)

 _ **Thunderstrike16**_ -There's a big thing that happens right before Winter Soldier, and all of that will take place in the sequel to this. This story is almost like a prequel to that one, to be honest. It was meant to set up Anna, develop her, and for everybody to get a feel for who she was, and to get a connection with her, and the other characters. I can't tell you exactly how it'll all happen, because that'll give everything away.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ I'm sorry you've had a rough couple days. I definitely know how that is. We've had a family member die last week. I did not hear about a new addition to DC, but I'm def. excited. I've caught up on all of the DC shows except for Legends. I've got three or four of those to watch. Its just so hard when you have school, work, and other regularly programmed things to watch. I watch everything on demand for the most part.

 _ **19irene96**_ \- Well, as we all know, he good times don't last. lol ;)

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- You have a wonderful point. And yeah, I'm so happy Tony and Anna are good again. Now, just to work on stubborn, stubborn Pepper...


	30. Birthday Date

**Disclaimer** **: I don't own anything Marvel, Avengers, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 29  
Birthday Date

Anna and Steve had become somewhat regulars to that little homey diner they had gone to during lunch that one December day. At least once a week, it they were both in town, they'd meet for lunch there, generally ordering the same thing, which the middle aged waitress that owned the diner learned by heart.

Anna walked in, wiping her forehead of the sweat that was building on her skin from the hot July heat. Her blue eyes scanned the restaurant both from natural instinct and habit, as well as from searching for her lunch date. Steve was sitting in the back at their usual table, sipping on an ice cold glass of water as he waited for her to get there.

Steve looked up and saw her, smiling softly as he gave a small wave in her direction. Anna smiled back and made her way back into the restaurant. "Hey, sorry I'm late," she apologized, quickly taking a seat before Steve had the chance to hop up and pull her chair out for her, which he often did when they arrived there together.

"That's okay, I just got here a couple minutes ago," he told her.

"Still, it's rude," She said, before she took a generous sip of her water that was already waiting there for her. "How are you?" she asked. "Work going well?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Steve answered. "Rumlow and I have been running drills with STRIKE for a while now."

"Rumlow. Brock Rumlow?" Anna asked, sipping once more.

"Yeah," Steve answered. "You know him?"

"Not personally, but I've heard of him," she answered. "He's got a rep for always getting the job done. Plus, O'Hagan practically worships the ground he stands on. Doesn't shut up about him so I feel like I've known him forever."

"Agent O'Hagan been treating you well?" Steve asked hesitantly.

Anna scoffed. "Yeah, right," she muttered. "During training he likes to play last man standing, and whoever loses, and I quote: "Whoever loses has to babysit little Carr." Yeah, seriously. Half the guys on the team don't even know my name. I'm just Little Carr, baby sister to Clark, the guy they _really_ wanted on the team."

"I'm sure that's not the case," Steve said, trying to look on the brighter side of things.

"No, it is, trust me on this one, Steve," Anna said. "It's not so bad. I mean, I just make sure I'm the last one standing during training and I get to see the look on his face when he realizes that I'm a better fighter than he is."

"You are one tough doll, that's for sure," he agreed. "Missions go smoothly though?"

"Yes, they do. I might not like the guy, and I might give him back flack when he unjustifiably gives it to me, but that doesn't mean I won't follow my orders when we're in the field," she answered. "I'm not stupid. I'm a good agent. I do what I'm told and when I'm told to do it."

"As long as it's the right thing to do in the first place. Don't forget that," he reminded her.

"I won't," Anna said. "And so far, the missions we've been on have gone pretty smoothly. Nothing goes as completely planned, but nothing ever really does in our work. But he hasn't brought this stuff into the field, so I guess there's that."

Anna didn't really know what to look for. The missions really had been going relatively normal. Nothing was out of the ordinary. And nothing was suspicious about anything at all with the team. So far, after seven months of working with the team, nothing was stood out to her. It was either they were hiding it very well, or were waiting to see if she could be trusted before finally making a move. Either way, Anna was there waiting.

"Oh, shoot, I almost forgot," Anna muttered excitedly. She reached down into her brief case and pulled out a wrapped blue package with a silver bow on top. "I know it's not for another day, but I couldn't help myself." Anna slid the package across the table. "Happy birthday, Steve."

"What? Anna, you didn't have to get me anything," Steve said, but reluctantly took it.

"Sure I did," Anna said. "You're my friend, and I like to celebrate my friends."

Steve ripped the paper open and held up the hard cover sketchbook and metal tin of professional graphite pencils. He smiled softly and then looked up. "Thanks, Anna. This was very thoughtful."

"You're very welcome," Anna said. "You like it?"

"Yeah, I haven't drawn in a while, but this is all the more reason to pick it back up again. Thank you, really."

"Of course, anytime," she said.

"Well, it's kind of a funny coincidence that you did this, because I got you something too," Steve said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small jewelry box. "It took me forever to track this down, but I finally found it, and I just knew it belonged to you."

Anna hesitantly took the box from him and opened it. Inside was a small silver locket, the heart shape contained etched designed of what appeared to be lilies. "Steve, this is beautiful. You really didn't have to do this," she insisted. "I mean; this is kind of out of the blue too."

"Well, it's your birthday next week so it's not all that sudden," he answered. "July 11."

Anna blinked. "Wait, how did you know it was my birthday next week?" she questioned. "I never told you."

Steve shrugged. "I asked around," he offered.

The only people that knew her birthday, that were alive, were Director Fury and Hill. They were the only ones that had access to her file. Everybody else was dead. So that obviously lead Anna to believe that he either broke in to see her file, which he wouldn't do just to see when her birthday was, or was lying.

"Okay," she muttered suspiciously, but she took the necklace out and faceted it around her neck. "It really is beautiful though, Steve. Thank you."

"They said that they're Peruvian lilies," Steve told her. "They mean friendship."

"That's sweet," Anna said, smiling gently at the blond. "Hey, since you'll be ninety-five tomorrows, have any words of wisdom for the youngins?" she laughed.

Steve rolled his eyes, but smirked nonetheless. Usually he would just roll his eyes when someone said something like that, but it seemed he was in the mood to humor Anna. "Do as much as you can while you can. Be who you are. Don't take no for an answer. And enjoy the people you have in your life while you have them."

Anna nodded. "Can I ask you something personal? You can say no."

He was obviously hesitant, and he ran his hand through his hair, debating how to answer, but eventually Steve nodded his head. "Sure, go ahead."

"What was Bucky like?" Anna asked.

Steve chuckled, as it something was funny, but Anna honestly didn't know what was all that amusing. "He was a good man," Steve answered easily.

"I think I already got that," Anna chuckled. "You wouldn't be friends with some that wasn't."

He nodded, since she did have a point. "Bucky was…." He muttered, trying to find the words to go on. "Buck was the best friend anybody could ever ask for. Can you imagine me and him as friend when we were kids?" he asked. "I was always sick, and I missed a lot of school. And Bucky, instead of play sports with the other kids that always wanted him on their teams, and the girls that always flirted with him, Bucky would come over and tell me about his day. He's keep me company and help me with the work I missed so I wouldn't fall behind."

"That's so sweet," Anna said, smiling affectionately. It was nice to see Steve talk like that. He was smiling and looked so happy. He always seemed so sad, and lonely. That was one of the reasons Anna really wanted to become his friend. She wanted to not only be his friend, but for him to feel more at home. She wanted him to feel like he could go to her. To give him a home.

"There was this one time, right when The Wizard of Oz came out, Bucky insisted that we go together. He even managed to get a day off from work to go with me. He bragged about getting to see it with me first to all his other friends."

"That's why you got the reference when we were on the Helicarrier," Anna figured.

"Yeah," Steve said. "Honestly, that was one of the best days of my life. Even though the flying monkeys scared the crap out of us…don't tell anybody about that, would you?"

Anna chuckled. "Your secret's safe with me," she answered.

"Thanks," he chuckled.

"You know, I'm sure Bucky loved you too," Anna said. "You're a good friend, Steve."

"Thanks, Anna. You're a good friend too. And Bucky would've loved you too," Steve said. "Like, really loved you."

Anna just scoffed. "Right, because with all the girls he could've chosen, he'd pick me."

"You're selling yourself short," Steve told her.

"You're giving me too much credit," Anna retorted.

"You're smart, fierce, a great friend, and," he cleared his throat before going on, "a beautiful woman, Anna. Any guy would be lucky to call you his gal."

"Well, coming from Steven Rogers, I guess I have to listen," Anna chuckled, her cheeks tinged red.

"Good, now, I'm starving. Let's place our orders and eat!"

* * *

 **Some nice downtime with with Anna and Steve. There is one more chapter before the start of Thor so you have that to look forward to! And I know everybody is going to like/have a lot a questions in the next chapter. So mull that over! Please let me know what you think in a review.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- I'm glad you liked it. And yeah, I like watching a lot of them at once. That's why Netflix is so great. That's how I watches S2 of Flash and Arrow.

 _ **FelixFelicis02**_ \- I'm glad you finally got to read this! I'm so glad you also really love this story. I love Anna, and her story, and it only gets more emotional from here on out. And for your side note, it will be continued, i promise. The chapter that's going up is packed with a whole lot of stuff, both action and whatnot, so it's just taking me so long to get it out right, and I keep getting stuck with it. But I assure you that it won't be forgotten. If you want, I can always PM you when it's done and I post so you don't have to look. (This story gets updated every week. I've already gotten through Ch. 38 pre-written so we'll be set for a good while).


	31. Rescued

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel, or Agents of SHIELD. Just Anna and her little ragtag team of misfit boys.**

* * *

Chapter 30

Rescued

There was always going to be some inconvenience in the field during a mission. Whether it be something small or large, it was always going to happen. It was something Anna always came to expect. She couldn't exactly completely prepare for what would go wrong, because there was no way of knowing for sure what would, but she was prepared enough to mentally change things on the go and not get so worked up about it.

None of these unexpected inconveniences ever lead Anna to believe that someone on the team was a traitor to SHIELD. Ryan O'Hagan and Ricky Dadney were complete assholes, but despite some snide comments not only directed towards her, but the other teammates, there wasn't really any indication that anything was off. Yes, she got a bad feeling from the two, but that was it. She couldn't completely go off of that. There was no evidence, and after all, she got bad feelings about a lot of people.

She couldn't possibly imagine what Agent James had been talking about when he told Agent Hill that something was wrong. Obviously something was though, seeing as the man never returned after his initial contact out in the field. She just couldn't find anything yet, and she had been working with them for months now.

O'Hagan and Dadney were dicks, but the others weren't so bad. After initially getting rejected over and over again, Marcus Alenko, the sniper, finally moved on with simple joking flirts every once in awhile, but generally acted more like a big brother towards Anna. He even joked around with everybody, often getting him scolded by O'Hagan, but that still didn't mean O'Hagan wasn't amused and entertained by the young man. He seemed to get along best with Neil MacFarlane, the pilot of their little craft. The man was a bit more reserved then Marcus, but overall, the two were a lot alike. He was funny and laid back. He seemed to get along with everybody equally, not playing too much into favorites when it came to companions on the team.

And, of course, Dadney and O'Hagan were two peas in a pod. They always stuck together, for the most part. They never fought with one another, and they always backed each other up.

Tucker, their tech man, was the most secluded. He didn't really like to socialize, and even when he did, it wasn't all that well. He didn't understand people, he understood technology. When he did socialize though, generally it was with either O'Hagan because he was their boss, or Anna, because she didn't berate him for the things he wasn't good at, and she would go to him for help when she needed something, or information on their equipment. She'd ask politely, not demand or expect it like everybody else. It was his job to do it, yes, be he needed to know he was appreciated too. Anna understood that better than anybody.

Lastly, of course, was Anna. She didn't go out of her way to make friends on the team like most spies would do when they were assigned to infiltrate. Even though these people didn't exactly know what she was like as a person, they knew her reputation, or at least the rumors about her, so she wanted to let them see her for who she really was; strengths and weaknesses exposed. It was how she ended up naturally getting Tuck to open up to her, and how Marcus instinctively drifted into the brotherly position with her. It was why O'Hagan and Dadney instantly went for the throat when shooting verbal abuse at her.

But overall, the whole team did integrate her in their own way. She was no longer really seen as an outcast, and they worked well together.

It wasn't until November that her little ragtag team finally gave her something to work with. At first, it didn't seem a lot like anything. It just seemed like one of those inconveniences that popped up from mission to mission.

The main objective had originally been to extract an asset from his cover. The scientist, Dr. Baumgartener, was undercover in some terrorist sell, having been looking to see just what exactly they were getting up to in the terms of technology and biological warefare. He pressed the panic button though to get him out, so that was why their team was sent in to extract him. Halfway through the mission though, as Anna and Dadney were getting him out, the team received a message from O'Hagan back on their craft, Jupiter, that the mission objective was changed, and instead of extracting the man, they were to take him out instead.

Anna, of course, instantly questioned this, but didn't completely blurt out her frustrations. After all, Dadney and her were already halfway back to Jupiter by the time they got that message. Before she could even ask the question: "Why?" Marcus took the shot from one hundred yards away in the mountain side, dropping Dr. Baumgartener dead to the ground. It was a clean shot straight through the middle of the forehead, and of course, since Anna and Dadney had been standing behind him, off to the side, had gotten spattered with blood.

This drew the attention of the terrorists in the area, and getting out of there for Anna and Dadney had just gotten ten times more difficult with all of the shooting that took place around them.

In the end, the team managed to get out of there, though not without Dadney getting shot through the shoulder. It wasn't nothing that couldn't wait for later, and he'd most definitely live. But once they got back to Jupiter, hidden in the thick foliage of the mountain, the team discovered that there just so happened to be another inconvenience: Jupiter wouldn't start.

And, of course, the terrorists were on their heels. The mission was a complete disaster, and nothing seemed to be going right. Even with the combined minds of Tuck and MacFarlane, the two couldn't figure out how to get Jupiter up and running before they were surrounded. MacFarlane made the call for an extraction, and luck was on their side for this one. There was a Bus in the area that just so happened to be able to pick them up in ten minutes, plenty of time for them to escape before getting killed or captured. It also gave them enough time to hide Jupiter underbrush so that it wouldn't be found, and they could later extract her after getting the needed parts to make the repair she needed.

It was funny to Anna that the massive plane was called a Bus, but that didn't really matter. Once they made sure they had everything they needed from Jupiter, the team and Anna exited and them hopped into the hovering Bus into the back bay. Once inside and away from the door, the plane ascended in elevation and continued back towards its original destination, just with a couple added passengers.

Helping them one were several agents. First was the tallest, and by far the most muscular. He helped pull Agent Dadney into the plane, bringing him, and the others into the area just off of the bay where two cars were parked, one SHIELD issued SUV, and another car that was covered with a sheet. The man had short brown hair, and his big brown eyes and eyebrows were in a permanent kinda puppy dog expression. He wasn't in any kind of SHIELD issues suit, or uniform, meaning he had probably just gotten up or had been working out (and it was the later, because he was in a pair of sweats and a plain white shirt).

Once inside the lab area, Dadney was sat onto the slab and the blonde woman, grabbed the first aid kit to instantly start working on cleaning and suturing the wound.

"Guess you just can't keep out of trouble, can you Ricky," the dark haired man said, smirking as he leaned back onto one of the counters with his arms crossed over his chest.

Anna glanced between them, obviously figuring out that they knew one another. And that was proven further when O'Hagan walked up to the man and clapped him on the shoulder, before leaning up against the counter as well. "Don't you know it," O'Hagan said. "Good to see you, Ward. It's been a while."

"Too long," Ward answered.

"No, not long enough. I don't get into that much trouble," Dadney protested as he winced at the cleaning substance the woman used on his shoulder. "Watch it," he grumbled.

"She's being nice enough to clean your wound, Dadney, I wouldn't complain," Anna reminded him.

Ward narrowed his eyes at the small brunette for a moment and turned his head. There was obviously something on his mind in regards to Anna, but what it was Anna honestly didn't know. Nor did she really care at the moment. She may have been on a SHIELD plane, but that didn't mean she liked to be around strangers, and especially not after a mission that had gone so wrong.

"Shut up," Dadney hissed.

"Ward, this is my team," O'Hagan started to introduce, though the introduction was also going to the three other people in the room. "You obviously know me and Ricky, we graduated the academy together. But this is Agent Marcus Alenko, our pilot. Tuck is our technical specialist. Our sniper, Marcus Alenko, and the little pest is Baby Carr."

 _The pest that got Dadney out of there,_ Anna thought, rolling her eyes. " _Anna_ ," she clarified.

"Clark's little sister?" Ward asked, looking between Anna and O'Hagan.

"Yes," she answered.

"I've heard a lot about him, and you," Ward said, sizing her up.

Ward had obviously heard all of the rumors that TweedleDee and TweedleDumb had believed, as well as O'Hagan, Dadney, and a great majority of SHIELD personnel when it came to Anna. She just didn't know if he believed them now that he'd seen her, or not. Then again, she didn't really care. She wasn't there to impress him, or anybody. She was there to do a job and to redeem herself in her eyes through the spirit of her family: Clark and Phil.

One of the others, one of Ward's people, cleared their throat, pulling his attention away from Anna. "Oh, right. I'm Agent Grant Ward. This is Skye," he introduced.

The young woman smiled and waved at everybody. She had long, wavy brown hair, and she also had big brown eyes. Her skin was tan, and she was definitely not dressed like a SHIELD agent. She was swearing civilian clothes, and she had to be, by the way that she had a SHIELD security bracelet clasped around her wrist to prevent her from doing anything that was against protocol on a computer. She was pretty though, and she was friendly towards them all enough.

"Hi, nice to meet you all," she said. "Seems like you guys got into a bit of trouble out there…" She was definitely fishing for information about what had gone on. Anna could already tell she had issues being left in the dark.

"No battleplan ever survives first contact with the enemy," Anna answered, crossing her arms over her chest. If the woman was going to ask questions, Anna was going to give her information and a lesson, even if it wasn't exactly the information she had been looking for. "How you adjust to what comes after is what determines the success of the mission."

"Ain't that the truth," Dadney grumbled.

"This is Dr. Simmons," Ward said.

Dr. Simmons was the pretty little thing that was patching up Dadney. The long haired blonde smiled and muttered a soft greeting in a distinct British accent and she adjusted her white lab coat. "Are you the only one injured, Agent Dadney, or do you require attention, Agent Carr? She asked nicely.

Anna smiled softly towards the woman. She could tell she was nice, and smart. "No, I'm fine, thank you."

"As long as you're sure," Simmons muttered before going back to covering Dadney's flesh wound.

"And this is Dr. Fitz," Ward finished.

Fitz had curly blond hair, and he was in civilian attire, which wasn't uncommon for SciTech agents. But the sweater vest, and the roundness of his face did nothing to help him look like a cute, childish man. He had a baby face, and that made him all the more adorable. It was like he was the opposite of Tuck, who looked older than he was.

"Agent May is up in the cockpit," Skye added off hand.

"Wait, Agent May? Like, the Cavalry Agent May?" MacFarlane gaped.

"Yeah, but she doesn't like to be called that," Fitz told them, his Scottish accent prominent, but understandable.

"Understandably," Anna muttered. "I hate being called Baby Carr." That was tacked on with a glare towards O'Hagan and Dadney. "It's been awhile since I've seen her though, so it'll be nice to catch up."

"You know her?" Marcus gaped.

"Yeah, I've trained with her before," she said. "She's good people. Funny too."

Anna had known Melinda for years. She was close friends with Phil, so obviously Anna had met her, and plus, May had worked with her parents on some things, so in turn, she had worked with Anna too. And in some of her down time, Anna had trained with May, always getting her butt handed to her though. She had only been in her early teens then, and hadn't seen her since her parents' funeral. And May hadn't been the same since her mission in Bahrain either, so seeing her in missions wasn't exactly something that happened often after that either.

They all exchanged looks amongst themselves as if she was crazy, or had grown three heads. What she had said wasn't that absurd. Anna had known her for a long time, she knew Agent Melinda May well. Even knew her husband. Or, ex-husband, rather.

"We are talking about the same person, right?" Skye asked.

"Yeah," Anna said, nodding her head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Melinda May, about yay high?" she asked, leveling her hand at May's height. "Dark hair, dark eyes. Female version of Jacky Chan?"

"Yeah, that's here…" Ward said. "But funny?"

"Yeah, guess you just don't know her like I do," Anna muttered, shrugging.

"Why don't I show you to the showers," Skye offered. "I'm sure you'd like to clean up out of….all that…"

"That would be greatly appreciated," Anna said, following Skye out of the lab area and up the spiral metal staircase upstairs to the upper level of the plane.

She led her through the living room area, which was attached to their individual bunks, and passed the briefing room. She stopped next to a door and opened it for her, allowing her to go in. "Here you go," Skye told her.

"That's, I really appreciate this," she thanked.

"No prob," Skye said. "It's kinda cool to have some other people around here, you know?"

"Yeah, I get you," Anna said. "I get sick of getting stuck with these guys sometimes. It's nice to talk to someone other than them for once."

"Exactly," Skye agreed. "And I don't really know a whole lot of SHIELD people, so it's nice to meet a girl other than May that's a field agent."

"I take it you're new?" Anna asked, leaning up against the doorframe.

"Yeah, I'm kind of in training and on probation," she answered, holding up her wrist to show off the bracelet.

"Yeah, I saw that," Anna said with a nod. "You didn't go to the SHIELD academy then, right? I mean, they don't usually use those on someone unless they did something wrong, and that's not normally agents that went to the academy."

"No, I, uh, used to run with the Rising Tide," Skye answered. "I made a mistake and now I'm tagged like a dog until I can prove myself again."

The Rising Tide were a group of hacktivists, and though SHIELD had the best security in the world, that didn't mean that some of those hackers weren't the best in the world. And SHIELD MO was pretty much recruited anybody that you and for your benefit and for the benefit of protecting everybody else. It was no surprise to her that Skye was recruited after hearing that.

From the sound of Skye's voice as she embarrassingly admitted this to the stranger, Anna could tell she was genuinely sorry for her actions. She seemed like good people, and Anna didn't have a bad feeling about her whatsoever, so even if she didn't completely trust her (after all, she was a stranger and Anna's trust has to be earned), she didn't see anything wrong with liking Skye, and potentially being friends with her.

"Do you regret what you did?" Anna asked.

Skye nodded. "I do," she answered.

"Then I don't see any reason why you won't make it through this," Anna said. "Trust me, I know what it's like too. To be an outsider in a place you really want to belong in."

"You do?" Skye asked, her expression clearly showing how surprised she was.

"Yeah, a whole lot more than you know," Anna said. She pushed off the doorframe and stepped into the bathroom. "I'll talk to you later."

"Right," Skye muttered, watching her as Anna shut the door. She couldn't help but wonder how exactly Anna understood her."

Before Anna even started to strip off her clothes to get into the shower, or even turn the water on, she pulled out her phone to call in to check on the mission report.

" _State you Identification."_

Anna started to unzip the blue shield field uniform from the top as she stated: "Identification: A01492866."

" _Identification and voice recognition confirmed. State requested department."_

"Mission Objectives," Anna clarified. She reached up and pulled her hair out of the ponytail and then stepped out of her uniform, the phone still tucked between her ear and her shoulder.

" _Transferring call."_

It took a couple minutes, and by the time Anna was done stripping down into nothing at all, the phone finally put her through to the department she was trying to get to. O'Hagan said that their mission objective had changed, and since she was on the team, she had access to that information. Not, perhaps, why exactly it was changed, but the objective would have been knowledge she could openly get ahold of with her clearance level.

" _Mission Objectives. State the case number."_

"Case: AE907693," Anna muttered, reaching over to turn the water on so that it could get to a comfortable temperature by the time she was finished on the phone.

Anna listened intently as she leaned with one hand on the sink, her eyes staring into her own in the mirror. As the mission objective was played in her ear, her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped before she clenched her fist and growled, "Son of a bitch."

* * *

The two teams, minus the Bus's leader, were all congregating in the main living area, chatting over a warm meal and some drinks. The bus did, in fact, have a stocked bar that they all seemed to be enjoying responsibly as they told stories of old missions, and stories of O'Hagan, Dadney (who had gotten cleaned up right after getting patched up by Dr. Simmons), and Ward's days at the academy together. It seemed that Tucker and the two scientists on the plane had also known each other at SciTech, the academy of Science and Technology.

It was a grand old time really. Or, it was, until Anna stormed in.

Anna had taken her time while she as in the bathroom. She had intentionally stayed in there longer after that phone call, trying to calm herself down. She didn't' want to do anything she'd regret, and potentially compromise her mission.

It wasn't very common for Anna to lose her temper. She was very much accustomed to getting berated and yelled at and keeping all of those feelings that came from those inside and out of the public eye. It was why she was so good at dealing with DweedleDee and TweedleDumb, and O'Hagan and Dadney.

But this just so happened to be one of those times where she couldn't get the boiling anger to simmer down. She stormed into the room and walked right up to O'Hagan. She reached out, grabbed him by the front of the workout shirt he had changed into to be more comfortable on their journey home, and pulled him up off the seat.

Anna glared at him straight into his light brown eyes and growled, "You. Me. Talk. _Now_."

"What the hell, Carr?!"

The agent turned around without letting go of his shirt and dragged him into the briefing room, without any regard to his exclamation on her actions. It was right by the others, but at least they wouldn't be able to hear them talking.

Once inside, Anna shoved him up against the non-glass wall, away from the prying eyes of the group. Before O'Hagan got the chance to open his mouth to speak, Anna jumped in instead.

"You don't talk. You listen," she ordered. "I know you're my CO, but that doesn't give you the right to lie to the entire team and to make a call that puts us all at risk, especially when the mission objective you claim had been change was, in fact, still our mission objective," Anna said.

"I don't know what kind of fucking game you're playing here, Ryan, but whatever it is, it stops now. This is your only warning. I'll let it go this time, but if you pull something like this again, something that risks the lives of the people on this team, I swear to God, I'll report you and you won't even be authorized to be a damn janitor at SHIELD, and that's if you're _lucky_. You'd hate to see what I'd do if you put this team's life at risk like this again. I'm not losing another man, not like this. Not because of the stupid, selfish orders from _you_.

"So if something like this comes up again, and you find it necessary to make a call like this, tell me, Ryan. I may not like you, but that doesn't mean I won't follow your orders, got it? If we're going to do something, we're going to do it right, and we're going to do it as a team. Do I make myself clear?"

O'Hagan glared, but hesitantly nodded his head. He had thought Anna, though able to kick ass, was a bit of a pushover, and that the little amount of rumors that talked about her being relatively scary (though they were few and far inbetween, they were more accurate than the ones that undermined her abilities), were incorrect. But in that moment, as he saw her for how she really was when you got under her skin and threatened the balance of something she really believed in, he knew this was the real Anna. And it was one he didn't want against him.

And Anna's words for the most part had all been true. There was some little parts that weren't, like how she wanted him to go to her even if it was something against regulations and that she'd want in even if it meant something bad, because she knew she had to keep her cover. And this, even though she was so angry and the majority of what she said probably backtracked progress more than the rest of it gained her, she couldn't help the way she reacted.

Ryan had lied about the mission objective getting changed. They were still supposed to extract Dr. Baumgartener, not exterminate. The had lied. So as far as Anna could tell, Ryan was the one that was the issue with the team, but with how close he was to Dadney, Anna couldn't rule out that he was also in on it. Maybe not in that exact moment, because she could tell his shock was genuine while they had been in the field, he would probably be informed of why later in private.

Anna would report this into Hill later, but she'd also stress the fact that nothing should be done about it yet, because there were still too many variables in play that needed to be further investigated.

But at least now, Anna had at least one enemy in sight. She wasn't completely in the dark now.

Now the real challenge was to get the enemy to believe she was an alley.

* * *

Anna had discretely reported in to Hill a little while after her little chat with O'Hagan. She relayed everything to her, and she told Anna exactly what she knew she'd tell her: Keep at it. Just as Anna had said before, there was still so much they didn't know about the situation. She needed to keep with it until all of the variable and facts were out in the open.

It all left Anna with far more questions than she had answers, and that definitely didn't leave a pleasant taste in her mouth. Anna hated it, honestly. She really did. She hated being undercover with people she was supposed to be able to trust. She shouldn't have to worry about if someone on her own team, someone that was supposed to have her back no matter what, would stab her in it instead.

It was one thing to be undercover in a place you knew you couldn't trust anybody, but this wasn't supposed to be like that. SHIELD wasn't supposed to be like that. It made her long for a time where she didn't realize how complicated and untrustworthy the whole organization could be. She missed the days where her hero was Phil, and anything he did was something spectacular in her eyes because he was the hero, and heroes, to children, did no wrong.

How could his protégé have turned out so wrong then? Anna didn't know. After all, everybody kept telling her it wasn't her fault, that she wasn't in control. She even kept telling it to herself sometimes. But that didn't stop the feelings from being there. She had been the one to do it. She remembered every excruciating detail of that day too. Every thought, every emotion, every action.

It had all be here, and it had all not been her at the same time. The strategy and the fighting had all been her. The mission objective had been Loki's, yes, but everything after that, every thought and plan and emotion had been her.

The girl sighed and ran her hand through her hair and closed her eyes. Pretty much everybody was in different areas on the Bus, and Anna was left alone in the living room on the surprisingly comfortable couch. The quiet time was too suffocating if anybody asked her, but what else was she supposed to do?

She wasn't left alone too long. Agent May came down from the cockpit, the plane on autopilot for the next couple hours, and joined Anna in the living room. Anna instantly straightened back up at the sight of the woman.

Agent Melinda May was very well known throughout the entirety of SHIELD. Her long brown hair hung down to her shoulder like it always did, and her brown eyes watched Anna, just like they always did with everybody and everything. She was dressed in her usual black SHIELD uniform, and she was everything Anna remembered her to be. Especially the intimidating part.

May sat down silently and let Anna dictate how things were going to go. Being the polite girl she was, Anna nodded to May. "May," she greeted.

"Anna," May acknowledged back.

"It's been a while," Anna pointed out.

"It has," May agreed. "I haven't seen you since your parents' funeral."

"Really? Has it been that long?" Anna asked.

"Yes, though I thought I'd see you at Phil's funeral," she informed her. "And Clark, but he wasn't there either."

Anna stiffened again, and her eyes shifted away from May's. "Well, that was a difficult time," she said. "And Clark was trying to comfort me."

Something about her body language didn't add up to May. Anna knew the subject would be touchy for her, after all, her and Phil had been very close to one another. They had been practically family. He had been her SO, after all. He was the reason she was the agent she was today. But something was definitely weird with how uncomfortable, and how pale she had gotten at the mention of him and the funeral.

"I'm sure it was," May muttered, studying Anna carefully. "He's a good brother, I'm sure."

"He was," Anna said, nodding.

"Was?" May asked, furrowing her brow.

"He passed away on the job last year," Anna informed her.

"I'm so sorry, Anna," May said. May sat back up and turned her head slightly as she studied Anna. "Coulson would've wanted you to be there though," May pointed out.

Anna scoffed. She highly doubted that. "I'm the last person that deserved to be there," Anna muttered under her breathe. "It didn't feel right…" _for his murderer to be at his funeral,_ she finished in her thoughts.

"I think he'd be disappointed that you weren't there," May said.

Anna scoffed. "Phil was the embodiment of what SHIELD is supposed to be," she said. "And, you know, the only reason I in SHIELD is because of him. Phil believed in all of this, and I couldn't abandon that. I had to make things right, to prove to him that I was who he thought I was, or could be, even though he's gone. Even though I'm not really sure I am who he thought I was."

"Nonsense," May said. "You were the closest thing he had to family. You were like a daughter to him. Or at least a spoiled, favorite niece. He loved you, Anna."

"All the more reason to not go," Anna said. "I didn't deserve to be there. Not after everything on the Helicarrier before the Battle of New York…"

Before Anna could stop herself, she just let that slip. She didn't say anything else on it though. She was smart enough to shut her mouth on that front. Anna was very grateful that May's team decided to walk in to join them at that very moment, at least, for a little while she was. It was a welcomed distraction from the current topic of Phil.

"Wait, you were on the Helicarrier for the invasion?" Skye blurted out. "Seriously? That's so cool! What was it like?"

Skype plopped down right next to Anna, making her a tad bit uncomfortable, but there wasn't really much she could do about it. After all, the other three agents: Ward, Fitz, and Simmons all walked in and took the remaining seats. She couldn't move away.

"Uh, hectic," Anna said, keeping things vague.

"But did you get to meet any of the Avengers?" Simmons asked.

"Yeah," Anna answered. "Though I knew pretty much all of them before the threat even began so…"

Agent May got up and watched the group and she walked away, heading towards the big boss's office. The office of the man that hadn't even emerged to greet the people they had picked up, or had even allowed them to give his name. It was weird, but Anna didn't pay much attention to it. She was too preoccupied with her own team drama and her own personal mission.

"You did?" Fitz gaped. "How? I mean, you knew Tony Stark, that brilliant man!"

"Yeah, I lived with him for a while," Anna said. "And I'd use obnoxious to describe him more than brilliant. His head doesn't need to be any bigger than it already is."

"What was it like living with Iron Man?" Skye asked.

"Loud," Ana said immediately. "He plays his music way too loud. He also sends the stupidest text messages with emoji's and memes. Half the time I have no idea what the hell he's talking about."

"And Agents Romanoff and Barton?" Ward asked.

"Friends," Anna said. "I've been in SHIELD a long time, so I've worked, trained, and known with Nat and Clint a long time."

"Seriously? You're even on first name basis with them?" Ward said, a bit too excitedly for his strong, macho bravado.

"Yeah, Nat loves to manipulate me into buying her dinner, and Clint…. come to think of it, he does too…" Anna thought.

"And Dr. Banner? You knew him?" Simmons asked.

"Actually, I didn't know Dr. Banner until the Helicarrier, but he's a nice man. Very cautious, and has a dry sense of humor, but he's a very pleasant person to be around, if you ask me," Anna said.

"Really? The Hulk is pleasant to be around?" Ward asked. "Who would've thought…"

"So, that leaves the hunk of muscle, Captain America,"

"I was assigned to him after he woke up from the ice," Anna said. "And we've kept in touch. We do lunch or dinner and movies almost every week, if our schedules permit it."

"Really, you go on dates with _the_ boy scout!" Skye gaped.

"No," Anna quickly corrected her. "No, no, no, no, no. Not dating. He's like a big brother."

"That's weird. I'd take up any change to go out with any of the avengers," Skye said.

"You and me both," Simmons said. "I mean; Thor is so dreamy."

"And he's an alien with a girlfriend," Anna informed them. "Thor's taken."

"He is?" Skye asked in such disappointment that Anna almost laughed.

"What a shame," Simmons muttered with her.

Anna just rolled her eyes and smirked. This team has such a different dynamic than Anna and her team had. It was refreshing to be around these people, and the topic definitely lightened her spirits for a bit, until Ward opened his mouth again.

"So, did you get to see Loki?" Ward asked.

Anna froze. Not once since she spoke to Fury, has Anna had to talk about the man. She had to the hallucination of Phil that no longer plagued her, but not to anybody real. Anna didn't really know what to say about the tiny Frost Giant. Or Asgardian. Anna didn't really know how to refer to him. He was born a Frost Giant, but raise an Asgardian. But that wasn't really the point. There were so many conflicted thoughts in her head about Loki, and she didn't know what to say about him without making them look at her oddly. After all, she didn't necessarily blame Loki for everything that happened. After all, what the spear had shown her was that Loki was the one in complete control. He was, but just as much as Anna was. The actions were her's, as were the thoughts, but the objective itself wasn't.

Eventually, Anna sighed. "Yes," she answered.

"What was he like?" Fitz asked.

"Mental, I'm sure," Simmons thought.

Anna sighed again, starting down at her hands as she debated what to say. Finally, though, her head kept coming back to one word in particular, one that the group would most likely get so very confused by.

"He was surprisingly very human," Anna admitted softly, her mind in a very far off place.

And just as suspected, the group was left with more questions than answers, but by the look on Anna's face, they knew better then to press her for anything else. They had all been around people long enough to know when not to do that. Even with how awkward some of them were with other people. Anna had something very bad happen to her involving Loki, and even though they all wanted to know, they didn't dare hurt the poor thing any further.

From just the short amount of time they had known her, they knew that even she didn't deserve to be tortured like that.

* * *

Agent May walked into Phil's office without even knocking. She knew something was off with him too since the moment he had informed the team that they'd be picking up with other small team, and ordered them to make sure they had no knowledge that he was alive, or even there. They weren't to mention his name, or anything of the sort whatsoever. It confused everybody, but once Agent Melinda May knew that Anna was among the agents they were picking up, she knew it was because of her.

What she didn't completely understand was why Fury, Hill, and Coulson all left Anna in the dark about the status of Coulson's wellbeing. And after speaking to Anna, she figured there was far more than what either of them was letting onto.

May found Coulson sitting behind his desk on the computer, watching the security cameras of the main area, listening and watching the group there, the group May had just been a part of and left behind. Phil was watching Anna.

It was plain as day for May to see that Phil wanted to go and see Anna. But his excuse earlier was that she wasn't authorized to know. It didn't make any sense. It would make him feel so much better if she knew. It's make _her_ feel so much better if she knew.

"She's grown," Phil muttered.

"She has," May said, walking up to the desk slowly. "She's a good agent."

"She is," Phil agreed.

"Because you trained her," May complemented uncharacteristically.

"No, I just helped. She was a good agent before she started working with me," Phil said.

"That she was," May said. "Though I highly doubt it had anything to do with her parents."

Phil scoffed. "Christopher and Amelia were good agents, but they weren't very good parents."

"Nobody ever claimed they were," May said, sitting down at one of the chairs across from Phil.

"Does she seem well?" Phil asked.

"Do you want to hear what will make you feel good, or do you want the truth?" she asked, sitting with her arms resting on her knees.

Phil tore his eyes away from the monitor and furrowed his brow at the brunette. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want me to tell you she's well because it'll make you feel better with the decision of not telling her you're alive, or do you want me to tell you she's obviously still extremely bothered by the fact that you're dead? And that there's obviously something both of you are keeping to yourselves…"

Phil sighed, and his eyes shifted back to the girl that was smiling softly as she spoke to his team. "It's classified," he informed her.

"Of course it is," May said. "And I think it's supposed to protect both of you, but I think it's hurting both of you more than helping."

"You don't know what happened," Phil said.

"No, but I know it has something to do with both of you being on the Helicarrier," May said. "And she feels extremely guilty about something…"

Coulson remained silent for several long moments before he turned back to May. "Only a few people know of what actually happened in the detainment bay that day," Phil said. "Anna has been assigned to stand watch inside the chamber to keep an eye on Loki. And when Barton broke into the Helicarrier, Loki was let out and he took control of her."

May knew where this was going the second he said Anna had been stationed by Loki. It all made sense now. Why they everything was so classified, why Anna was so broken up, why Anna didn't go to the funeral. What didn't make sense was that they kept her in the dark. In theory, it would make Anna feel better to know that Phil was alive.

"Loki had her shoot me after he stabbed me through the heart," Phil said. "I was still alive when she did it."

"Why is she kept in the dark about it?" May asked.

"We don't want to open old wounds," Phil answered. "She's already moved on. I can't do that to her."

"She hasn't moved on," May insisted. "It would help her."

"She's getting on with her life though," Phil said.

"No, she's not. She's living her life to make up for what she did to you. She said that, or were you not watching then?"

Phil shook his head. "You know, at one point I had even been a little mad at Anna for what she did," Phil said, shaking his head at himself. "And I knew it was so stupid, but I couldn't help it. I died, and it was because she turned on me."

"But not of her own free will, Phil," May reminded him.

"And that's exactly why I felt so bad, and why I didn't want to tell her I was alive. She's already been through so much because of what Loki had her do. I didn't want her to relive the whole thing because I'm alive. I was ashamed of myself for what I felt, and I….I knew she didn't deserve that."

"No, she doesn't deserve that, but she doesn't deserve to go on living the rest of her life believing that she killed you, her family."

"She has Clark," Phil reminded her.

"Clark's dead, Phil," May informed him.

"What?" He gaped.

"She said he died last year," May told him. "You didn't know?"

"No, I had no clue," Phil said, typing on the keyboard to bring up Clark's case file. "July of last year…"

"She's all alone now, Phil," May told him. "You're her family, and she's yours. You should tell her."

Even though, at that one time, Phil had blamed Anna, he didn't anymore. He couldn't. She hadn't been at fault, Loki had. And Phil felt extremely guilty for how Anna was feeling, because he was the cause of that pain. Would she really feel better knowing he was alive, or not?

"You really think I should?" He asked, desperately asking the woman for help on what he should do.

"Tell her. You both need this."

* * *

Anna had just finished telling the group about how she found Loki to be human when May came back out and motioned for her to follow her. Anna was thankful for the chance to escape. She didn't expect the escape to lead her into the office of the head honcho of the plane. Why keep his identity a secret this long, and then only reveal himself to Anna? It didn't really make any sense to the girl.

May opened the door for her, and as Anna stepped her, her eyes didn't leave May. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

May nodded her head to into the office, and the man that had his back to them. It was unmistakable though. No matter what angle; front, back, side, upside down, Anna would've recognized him anywhere. The nearly bald head, the crossed arms over his chest, the straight, though every so slightly slouched, stressed, stiff shoulders.

It was Phil.

And there was no blood stained tear in the back of his jacket.

Every time she hallucinated Phil, he was in the same exact status that he had been in his last moments. He was in his suit, with the stab wound entering through his back to the front, and the gunshot wounds to his chest, with his shirt and jacket stained red from all of the blood he lost.

But this man didn't have those.

Anna glanced from Phil to May, her expression so pained that it could've broken May's heart. Anna's blue eyes went back to Phil's figure, and she hesitantly asked May, "Is this some kind of joke?" Her voice didn't sound mad, or angry if it was a joke. It was more of a pained, suffocating type. She couldn't believe her eyes, but there was no denying that she wasn't the only one seeing the man in the corner.

May shook her head and backed up, closing the door as she left.

Anna was left in the room, and after the door was shut, the man turned around and finally laid eyes on Anna. There was no way to even deny that she could've been mistaken in the identity of the person anymore.

Anna's gray eyes met Phil's brown eyes. The girl stepped several paces behind her, her back making contact with the door she had just entered through. She couldn't prevent her small frame from shaking. Her vision started to blur from the tears welling up in her eyes, but it wasn't enough to prevent her from still clearly seeing the man before her.

It took everything she had in her to unevenly get out his name. "Phil?" she asked, as her knees wobbled and threatened to give out under her.

Phil nodded his head and slowly, cautiously, started to move towards her. "Hello, Anna…"

Anna shook her head, her hands moving to frantically rub at her tired eyes. "No, you're...this isn't a dream, or a hallucination, is it?" she asked, her eyes meeting back with his.

"No, it's not, Anna," he explained.

The brunette slowly slid to the floor, her knees no longer able to support her frame upright. "T-This is impossible…"

"No, it isn't," he told her kneeling in front of her.

Hesitantly, Anna reached out to place her flat palm on his chest, testing to see if he really was a solid form. Her hand didn't push through im, instead, she was met with the soft fabric of his jacket, and she could feel the warmth of his body radiating through it. _You're actually real…._ "Yes, it is! You were dead, Phil! Extremely dead and I-"

"You're not the one that did it to me, Anna," Phil pressed. "Loki did."

"But I shot-"

"I would've died from Loki's wound no matter what," he told her, slowing reaching out to place his hand on her shoulder. She flinched away though, almost as if she were afraid of his touch. "What you did wasn't you. I know that. And I don't blame you for what you did."

The girl scoffed and looked up to meet his eyes. "I do," she informed him. "I do because it _was_ all me. Just…." she shook her head. "Everything I did and thought was me, but it was because it was acting on false information in my brain because of the scepter."

"Which made you act in a way you wouldn't normally act," Phil said. "Barton is no more at fault for his actions than you are."

"Which means Loki wasn't either," Anna thought outloud.

"What?" Phil asked in confusion.

Anna shook her head. That wasn't important now. "Nevermind, just...How is this even possible?" she asked, finally standing back up with his help.

"Treatments and a lot of time…" Phil started to explain, but found himself falling short of his thought, as if something was plaguing him. He didn't bring it to Anna's attention though, just s she didn't go forward with the Loki topic. "I wanted to tell you but…"

"Classified?" she asked.

"Extremely," he said. "Level seven and above."

"I don't understand why Fury wouldn't tell me though," she went on. "It's me, we're talking about here. You and me, the power team!"

"He probably didn't want to get your hopes up in case something went wrong. He knew you were moving on and healing. We decided not to tell you so you could live your life."

"Life my life thinking that I killed you?" Anna muttered, her face distorting in disgust. "Do you have any idea how guilty, and disgusted with myself I am?"

"You need to let those things go, Anna. You have to stop blaming yourself for something you can't control. Like with what happened to your parents. This was no different than that. You couldn't have done anything different, and the outcome wouldn't have been any different even if you had."

"I don't feel that way, like I have the right to move on though. I don't feel like I can forgive myself."

"You should, because I forgive you," Phil told her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders to make sure her was paying close attention to his words. "I forgive you, Anna. Because I love you."  
The tears in her eyes finally spilled over, and she looked up at him like a scared little child. "After all that?" she asked. "After everything I did, you still love me?"

"Of course I do," he told her as he pulled her against his chest into the tightest embrace. "You're my family Anna."

Anna clutched onto Phil, sobbing as his words repeated themselves in her mind. He loved her. He forgave her. And they were still family. She had her Phil back, even if she didn't necessarily believe she deserved such a mercy. But she did have him back, and she wasn't going to let that gift go to waste. Ever.

"I love you too, Phil."

* * *

 **This chapter takes place between episodes 7 and 8 in season 1 of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. And if anybody didn't know, episode 8 is after Thor: The Dark World, so if that gives you any indication where this story is right now….Yes! Thor starts next chapter and unlike any other Marvel story I've done, Ana WILL be in that movie, so I hope you guys are all looking forward to that.**

 **I've also created a calendar in Google Calendar that's an upload schedule. Hopefully it'll help me remember to keep a better schedule, and to write for the things that have been on hiatus as of later *cough* Condolence *cough.* So check that out. I've been trying to get the link to show up on my profile.  
**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, even though it was a bit difficult for me to do, as well as physically exhausting for some reason. I just love the show's characters (though I love season 2's even more so I sooo can't wait for that). Well, please leave a review and let me know what you guys think!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Howling2themoon**_ \- I'm glad you liked it!

 _ **FelixFelicis02**_ \- Mhm, I know you're curious. There won't be much more with Steve and Anna for a good while, which also means no more hints. There's Thor next, then a chapter or two, and then this story is over and the Sequel, "Candle in the Dark" takes over. You'll have to wait for that story to come out to find out your answers.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- Mhm, that first and last for this story. You'll have to wait until the next part of the Little Miss SHIELD series comes out to find out more. It's called "Candle in the Dark." It'll come out in May, the first week, I believe. You can look at the schedule if you'd like. I'm glad you liked the way I brought it up though.

 _ **PrincessMagic** _ \- I'm so glad you really like the story, and you're so sweet!

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- No Bucky for you! lol Though, sadly, until the next chapter, there won't be anymore mention of Bucky.


	32. Returning Friend

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel: Agents of SHIELD, Thor: The Dark World, etc. I just won Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 31

Returning Friend

Solo missions were a gift from God, or, at least Fury. They were moments of peace that Anna was so rarely gifted. The boys on her team were a lot to handle, and even though she was supposed to have her spying mission on them, she jumped at the opportunity when Hill called her and told her about going to London.

Apparently, there has been some strange readings from the equipment that belonged to Dr. Foster, the woman that had caught Thor's eye the first time he came around, and the woman that Anna and Phil had taken all her research from. After they gave it back, SHIELD started to fund her research, and in the contract she signed, they put a clause in that there was tracking software inside, so that SHIELD had complete access to her date. That way, if something along the lines of the readings for New Mexico started to happen again, they would know and they'd be wherever it was occurring.

And that was why Anna was being sent. Anna knew Jane, and even though Jane and her colleagues, Darcy (the intern) and Dr. Erik Selvig (a fellow captain of Loki) were all cautious of SHIELD and pretty much resented them, they did seem to at least tolerate Anna more than any other SHIELD presence. It was most likely because Anna assured them she'd do everything in her power to get their research back to them, which she had done. So they trusted her more than her rest, even though that trust wasn't all that much to begin with.

Her travel time was long, but considering how long it took to get from DC to London in the first place, it was rather short. Anna just hated being cramped in a quinjet for several hours though. She couldn't help it. It didn't' help that the pilot refused to talk to anybody to but air traffic controller. It took a record breaking four hours to get there, and by the time she landed, ANna had gotten word from an analyst over the phone that there was a report that Jane Foster has been reported mission by Darcy.

So, in a completely and utter rush, Anna took the motorcycle she had been assigned, because it was far faster to get around on than one of the SUVs, and reported to the abandoned warehouse yard that the call had come from. By the time she had gotten there, there were four cop cars with various Bobbies scattered about attempting to do their jobs. Anna arrived, and took off her helmet, sheltering the bike under the canopy of one of the buildings in order to prevent the bike from getting wet if it happened to rain, which it did so often in England.

Two cops were standing by their cars with Darcy, and a young man Anna had never met before. She walked over, already pulling out her badge from the SHIELD issued field uniform that she never got the chance to change out of. She had been in a tactics meeting after a training session with Nat that morning, and she was left in her blue uniform instead of she professional looking suit.

As Anna walked over, Darcy could see her over the shoulder of the man she was speaking to, and excitedly, she waved Anna over and yelled out, "Anna! Over here!"

Finally, Anna made it over to them and held up her badge to the man in front of her. From the insignia on his epaulets, he was a Sergeant, while the rest around him were Constables. "Hello, Sergeant. I'm Agent Carr of SHIELD. I'll be taking over the situation from here."

"Pardon me?" he gaped.

"Your assistance is no longer required, but I thank you for doing your job," Anna said. "But there's no further need for you, and these men, to be here. If you'd kindly get back in your cars and leave-"

"Leave?" the Sergeant laughed. "What jurisdiction does a child have?"

Anna fight the urge to roll her eyes and make some inappropriate comment, and instead pulled out her phone. "Okay, Sergeant," she glanced up to get his name off his jacket and then back down to her phone, "Longhouse." Anna typed away for a couple seasons, receiving add changes from everybody around before she finally made a content noise and said, "Here we are. Oh, goodness gracious. Sergeant, you're not a very good person, are you? You didn't file your tax return last year, or the year before that. Or the year before that! I'd hate to see you get in trouble for that…" Ana put her phone away and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I did all that on my phone without servers, Sergeant. Imagine what I could have our analysts find out back in the SHIELD office," Anna said. She pulled out a card and handed it to him. "Call and see for yourself that I'm an actual agent, Sergeant. Agent Anna Carr, ID A01492866."

Anna pulled Darcy away by her arm so they could move to the side to talk in private. "I never thought I'd be happy to see SHIELD," she muttered.

"Okay, so why don't you tell me what's going on? Where's Dr. Foster, and what are these abnormal readings that have been reported about?"

"They look like the ones from New Mexico," Jane said, and there's a portal or something in there that lets you drop things and never lets it hit the ground."

Anna just stared at her, her imagination picturing something just hovering above the ground and not the actual anomaly, but then again, Anna didn't know what it was yet. How exactly was she supposed to know exactly what she was talking bout by those vague words? No matter what though, it sounded strange and pretty cool.

"Okay, why don't you take me to the last place you saw Dr. Foster, and we'll start from her-"

"Jane!" Darcy yelled, interrupting Anna once her eyes fell upon the woman that emerged from a building over on the other side of the lot. She rushed over to her, Anna trailing a couple paces behind her, walking at a comfortable walk. "Where the hell were you?"

"Tell me you didn't call the police," Jane gaped, looking around at the cars and cops.

"What was I supposed to do?" Darcy asked.

"Not call the police!" Jane scolded.

"I was freaking out!" Darcy explained.

And just like in London fashion, the cry, out of the blue (or gray, technically speaking) decided to downpour over their heads, drenching Anna as she made her way calmly to Jane as she listen to her dramatically yell at Darcy. Once she got five feet away however, Anna stopped, and looked around her, Even though she was wet from the rain, she could still feel it pelting her body through her clothing and on top of her head. The second she stepped closer to the group though, that stopped. She looked around, noticing that a ring around Darcy and Jane was left without the droplets raining down over them, leaving them dry.

"You don't call the cops, they call the Feds. Next thing you know, we have SHIELD crawling all over "Area 51-ing" the place!" Jane said, before her eyes landed on Anna. "Oh great, SHIELD _is_ here!"

"Hello, Dr. Foster," Anna greeted, her eyes still looking up at the sky in bewilderment.

"Jane!" Darcy tried to interrupt.

"We had a stable gravitational anomaly!" Jane went on. "We had unimpeded access. Our only competition was ten years old!"

"Jane!" Darcy finally got in. "You were gone for five hours."

"What?" Jane gaped.

The thunder over head nearly made Anna jump because she was so focused on the rain anomaly. "Dr. Foster, Darcy, are you guys seeing this?" Anna asked, changing the topic completely. She was standing next to the outer ring, her hand outstretched into the pouring rain while the rest of her remained in the dry circle. "Does this have anything to do with the gravitational anomaly you were talking about?"

"That's weird," Darcy muttered.

"That's so interesting," Jane muttered, raising her hand much like Anna had. She glanced around, but as she did so, something else far more interesting caught her eye. Anna followed her eye to the other side of the lot, by two shipping containers where a man clad in a red cape stood, also very drenched.

Thor was back.

Anna smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. Jane started to move towards Thor, and Anna remained right where she was in order to allow them a moment to themselves. After all, it had been far longer for them than it had Anna and Thor. And they had romantic feelings. Anna didn't feel that pull.

Once Jane moved away from the two other females though, Anna and Darcy were then pelted by the rain, as if the bubble preventing them from getting wet was built around Jane.

"Typical," Darcy muttered.

"It's following her," Anna pointed out, raising her hands above her head to try and shield her face from the rain.

"I say we go disturb them and keep try," Darcy said.

"I suppose I second that motion," Anna agreed, following Darcy over to the ice dry section by Thor and Darcy, who were about to kiss, it seemed.

"Is this you?" Darcy asked, interrupting them.

Thor looked up, noticing that the rain wasn't around them anymore, and then back down to Jane, as she spoke before he could.

"Uh, we're kind of in the middle of something here," Jane muttered.

"Um, I'm pretty sure we are getting arrested despite Anna's attempt at pulling rank," Darcy said.

"They don't seem to buy that I'm with SHIELD," Anna admitted. "The disadvantages of my age, I'm afraid."

"Hold that thought," Jane told Thor. She placed a single finger up, making the "hold on" sign as she turned and walked away, back towards the English Police.

"Hello, Anna," Thor greeted.

"Thor," she said, nodding back to him. "It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Well, thank you. And yourself?" he asked his eyes narrowing as he was obviously thinking about the trauma of what Loki ordered her to do.

"I'm alive, so I suppose there's no complaint," Anna answered.

"Look at you, still all muscly and everything," Darcy pointed out. She took one finger and poked the armor on Thor's stomach. "How's space?"

"Space is fine," Thor answered, seeming amused.

Before anything else could be said, there was a dark red blast, and Thor swiftfully moved in front of Anna and Darcy to shield them from anything that may have been sent their way. Once it was gone though, Anna could see around him that the windows to the police cars had been destroyed, and the officers knocked back off their feet. Jane, too, was now on the ground.

Anna pulled out her gun, ready for anything and followed Thor as he called out in concern towards the woman he cared so much about. "Jane!" Thor called in concern. "Jane?" He knelt down beside her to check on her, and as he did so, Jane's attention was pulled up to him.

"Thor?" she asked back.

Thor took hold of one of her arms and helped her into a sitting position instead of flat on the cold, wet ground. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She didn't answer the question, instead, she slowly stood up with Thor's head, his hold on her arm still there, while Anna helped support her other side. "What just happened?" Jane asked.

"Place your hands on your heads! Step back."

Anna turned to the Constable and kept the gun to her side in order to prevent the officers from getting spooked. "Everything's fine, Constable. Be on your way and leave this business to me."

"This woman is unwell," Thor told him.

"She's dangerous," the officer protested.

"So am I," Thor muttered.

"You're not helping, Thor," Anna muttered to him before turning back to the officers. "All the more reason to let SHIELD take care of this matter."

He didn't listen. Instead, he placed his hand on the radio on his shoulder and said, "Requesting armed response officers to scene."

"We need to return to Asgard," Thor said, pulling Jane against his chest, arm around her waist.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked.

"Wait a second, if you're taking a human there, you're taking SHIELD there to protect her, "Anna said, grabbing onto Thor's arm. "It's not that I don't trust you, Thor, it's just…"

"I understand, and I would feel safer knowing you were there watching over her," he said, offering his other arm for her to take. "Hold onto me."

Anna hesitantly grabbed on, but once she did, she clung to him for dear life. A second later, the brightest, most colorful light Anna had ever seen and been blinded with overtook the three, and then they were gone.

* * *

 **So, Thor: The Dark World begins and Anna is off to Asgard. I've been so excited to do this because it's something I haven't done before, and there's so much potential for Anna in Asgard. I mean, after all, she'll have to see Loki...Anyway, I hope you guys are as excited for it as I am. Leave a review and let me know what you think!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **FelixFelicis02**_ \- Oh, you'll just have to wait and see. ;) Good things come to those who wait. I'm so glad you liked it though, because I was really unsure of the chapter.

 _ **Fangirling006**_ \- lol It'll be here before you know it! Just keep reading and enjoying, and you'll just be surprised when Bucky pops up!

 _ **Howling2themoon**_ \- I'm so glad you liked it!

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- Really? You'll have to let me know when your birthday is. Maybe I can post something as a present! Anyway, I'm so glad you liked how their reunion went. I wasn't exactly happy about how it turned out, but it is what it is!


	33. Roll Reversal

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel: Thor: The Dark World, Agents of SHIELD, etc. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 32

Roll Reversal

Moving faster than any human had ever traveled before inside a rainbow with shear whizzing past them did absolutely nothing good for Anna's head, nor the lurching in her stomach as the three traveled through the bifrost to Asgard.

On one hand, it didn't last very long. On the other, Anna still thought she was going to puke all over Thor's silky Asgardian cape.

While Thor and Jane gracefully walked through the gate of the bifrost, Anna stumbled in, dropping down to all fours, her head pressing to the cold, rainbow bloor. The cold helped ground her, and it took her mind off the bile that was building in her mouth.

Jane, on the other hand, was extremely overjoyed about the experience she had just been gifted with. She looked around, and then turned to Thor giddily and said, "We have to do that again!"

Once her eyes landed on the dark man, clad in gold armor up upon the steps of the pedestal that controlled the bifrost, she faltered. "Hi," Jane muttered.

"Welcome to Asgard," he greeted, a small smirk gracing his lips.

Anna groaned, her stomach lurching one last time before it finally started to settle. She took a deep breath and held it for several seconds, clenching and unclenching her fist to try and ground herself, before slowly letting the contents of her lungs out slowly.

"Are you alright, young one?" the towering man on the pedestal asked.

Anna nodded and pushed herself up onto her knees. "...just need to….catch my breathe…" she admitted, running a hand through her messy hair. "I uh...you must me Heimdall," she deduced, recalling all of the research she had done after she had first met Thor in New Mexico.

Heimdall bowed his head slightly to her, acknowledging her words as truth. "I am," he said. "You are a perspective young one."

Anna smirked and got up to her feet. "I do my homework," she admitted with a coy smirk.

"Come, we must have Jane examined by our head healer," Thor said to the two women, his hand on the small of Jane's back to lead her.

Anna got up, and followed right behind them, leaving the bifrost, and stepping out onto the rainbow bridge. "Oh my God," Anna gaped, starting at the cityscape befor her. Thor stopped again, once hearing Anna. He allowed for the women to really look at his home, with a smirk on his lips.

Anna took out her phone from her back pocket and snapped a photo of the spot they were in, with the bridge leading into the large, combination of futuristic and classical architecture city, with the pointed golden castle at the center of it all. It wasn't just the architecture that was astonishing though either. The very spot on the rainbow bridge was just before a massive waterfall that fell into nowhere.

If I don't get a picture, nobody's going to believe I've ever been here, Anna thought, sliding the phone back into her pocket. She didn't want to be greedy with it though. She wanted to respect the culture, and doing photo ops like this may be disrespectful to some of the Asgardians. After all, Anna and Jane were guests. It'd be rude to take advantage.

"Okay, so I've got a question," Anna stated as the group started to move again. "Since Thor is an alien when he's on Earth, that means that since we're on Asgard, we're the aliens, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose that'd be correct," Jane answered. "Which, feels kind of strange, if you ask me."

"Tell me about it…"

* * *

Thor lead them through the city, and to a tall building on the outskirts of the city by the mountains in order to have Jane meet with a woman by the name of Eir. SHe was their head physician. Eir, and her assistants, took Jane over to a table with four prongs emerging at the corners, and had her lay down on top of it. After fiddling in the air above Jane, a shimmering golden light emerged. It swirled and moved as the woman moved her hands and did her work.

"What's that?" Jane asked, raising her hand up to try and touch the golden substance floating above her.

"Be still," Eir scolded, as she continued to work. The golden substance took a three dimensional model of Dr. Foster and moved it above her to manipulate.

Anna had never seen anything like it before. It was absolutely beautiful. It seemed that most things she saw in Asgard were. The brunette was standing off to the side with Thor, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the events transpire.

"What are they doing?" Anna asked softly to Thor.

"They're trying to determine just what is inside Jane," Thor answered.

"Do you have any idea what it is?" Anna asked.

Thor shook his head. "This is not of Earth." One of the healers came up to them, and Thor stopped her to question her. "What is it?" he asked the woman.

The young woman seemed frightened to answer. That, or she was scared of whatever the substance inside Jane was. Either way, she was tense, and her voice shaky. "We do not know," she answered. "But she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her." Thor looked at her, not pleased with that information, and the woman took her leave.

"We'll figure something out," Anna told him. "I'm not going to let something happen to her on my watch."

Thor nodded. "We will figure this out. Together," he said, his voice soft and solamn.

Jane reached up again, receiving a scolding look from Eir. "That's a quantum field generator, isn't it?" she asked.

"It's a Soul Forge," Eir corrected her, as if this information was something everybody should've known. It made Anna feel extremely small and stupid, to say the least. After all, she didn't even know what either a Soul Forge or a quantum field generator were."

"Does a Soul Forge transfer molecular energy from one place to another?" Jane asked.

Eir froze, and looked down at Jame surprised and impressed. "Yes," she answered.

Jane turned to look at Thor and Anna and smiled excitedly. She whispered with so much energy she could've just yelled it to the world in excitement. "Quantum field generator."

Thor smiled down at her affectionately, and Eir went back to work, pulling Jane's attention with her. The man sighed, his shoulders slouching a bit more. Anna didn't like to see the man down. She had seen him in some of the worsts parts of his life so far, and she never thought she'd see him more dejected than he had been in New Mexico, but the thought of losing the woman, Anna dared say, _loved_ , was heartbreaking.

"We'll figure this out," Anna reiterated. "They'll do what they can, because they like her. She obviously impressed them with her knowledge. I mean, you won't see me impressing anybody like that."

"You have your own skill set, she has her's," Thor said, trying to comfort her a bit.

"Yes, but my skill set is nothing compared to the Asgardian physiology of someone that would've been evenly matched to me," Anna said.

"I've only seen a fragment of what you can do, Anna, but I know that you are very talented. If not because of your training and talent, because of your heart."

"You give me too much credit," Anna explained.

"You give yourself too little," Thor corrected.

The conversation didn't end because the two were finished, it ended with an intrusion of another party. Upon hearing the footsteps and the voice of the older man that entered into the chambers, Anna turned her head, meeting the white haired man, clad in decorated armor and an eyepatch.

 _Is he taking fashion advice from Fury now?_ Anna asked herself rather amusedly. The eyepatch was a dead giveaway for identity of the Asgardian before her though. The old Norse texts from her research all described King Odin of Asgard with one eye, and a long white beard. This man had both.

"My words are mere noises to you that you ignore them completely?" he asked.

Thor turned at the voice as well, though he didn't seem as surprised by the appearance of the man as Anna was. "She is ill," Thor answered, making his way closer to the man.

"She is mortal," he said. "Illness is their defining trait."

 _And here I thought Humanity had eight defining characteristic; humility, equality, nobility, integrity, companionship, compliance, heroism and truthfulness,_ Anna thought. She subconsciously straightened her back and put her chest out every so slightly to make herself look bigger and more important. She didn't like her species getting insulted like that!

"I brought her here because we can help her," Thor explained.

"She does not belong here in Asgard any more than a goat belongs at a banquet table," Odin explained.

Jane sat up instantly at that insult. "Did he just…" Jane muttered, looking at Thor, and then back to Odin. "Who do you think you are?"

"I am Odin, King of Asgard. Protector of the Nine Realms," he explained.

"Oh, well, I'm-"

"I know very well who you are, Jane Foster," Odin said.

Jane turned to look at Thor and gaped. "You told your dad about me?"

"I suppose even though you're the Protector of the Nine Realms, doesn't mean you have to respect them then, does it?" Anna asked.

Odin stopped his rounds, as it appeared he couldn't keep still. Anna has remained in her corner, and as far as she knew, Odin had not taken note of her existence whatsoever. It was like she wasn't even there. Not until she spoke, which dure his attention to her. "Excuse me?" Odin asked.

"Well, you just insulted someone you claim to protect, a title you seem to take a whole lot of pride in," Anna said. "So why is it that we don't deserve to be here, if we're apart of something you hold in such high esteem? Why protect us at all? After all, isn't every life important? Shouldn't each life deserve your compassion and respect until proven otherwise? Maybe it's just a mortal thing then. Forgive me, you grace."

Oh, it felt so good to back talk him! Anna, even though she made her words rather polite and respectful, very to the point, she felt so good knowing that to Odin, she had just put him in his place. He was a king, and he was definitely acting like the stereotypical one you always saw in movies and in books. It was a fatal flaw in the heroes of old Greece, and though this wasn't Greece, the concept still seemed to apply to Odin, the hero and King of Asgard.

"You I do not have the privilege of knowing," Odin stated, eyeing the young girl up and down scrutinizingly. "Nor do I care to." He turned away, continuing his rounds, leaving Anna with her blood boiling at that last comment.

Thor turned away from Anna, and tried to get back to what was really important. Plus, he didn't want there to be anymore of a scene than there already was. "Something is within her, Father," Thor said. "Something I have not seen before."

"Her world has its healers, they're called doctors, let them deal with it," Odin said.

"They wouldn't even know where to begin with something like this," Anna jumped in. "If Thor doesn't know what it is, how are we supposed to?"

"That is not my concern," Odin explained. "Guards! Take them back to Midgard!"

Two guards walked around the table and went to grab Jane to pull her off the Soul Forge, or Quantum Field Generator, whatever it was. However, before Thor or Anna could completely warn them not to, one of the men grabbed her arm, threatening Jane and whatever it was just like the police had. "No, I would not-" Thor tried.

And it reacted in exactly the same way.

"-touch her." Jane was instantly at Jane's side, while Anna, against her better internal feelings, went to give a hand to the guards that had been thrown. She offered her hand, and one of them just brushed her off and walked paster her, while the other hesitantly took it and then nodded to her in gratitude.

"Jane, are you alright?" Thor asked.

"Yeah," she answered weakly.

This activity caught Odin's attention, and instead of leaving like he originally planned, he stepped back into the room and made his way back over to Jane. He took one of her arms, and hovered his hand, moving it across the top of the skin, watching as it glowed the same red from the energy that kept admitting itself from her body.

"It's impossible," Odin muttered, his head lost in his thoughts, and all the while leaving everybody else out of the loop as to what it was.

"The infection," Eir stated, "it's defending her?"

"No," Thor corrected. "It's defending itself."

Odin nodded. He was in complete agreeance to what Thor had said. "Come with me," he instructed, and Thor and Anna helped Jane up off the table. They didn't get thrown because Jane didn't feel threatened by them. She knew they were trying to help, unlike the police and the guards. Once off the table, her knees wobbled, but after a couple moments, her body remembered what it was supposed to do.

"This way," Odin lead, and Thor, desperate to find out what his father knew, left the two women to follow behind them. Anna didn't let go of Jane's arm just in care she needed any assistance along the way, and Jane didn't make any indication that she wanted to let go yet anyway.

"You totally just told off a king," Jane pointed out, her smirk firmly in place as they walked. She seemed back to normal, for the most part, just a bit more tired than she had been.

"You like it?" Anna laughed. "It was my respectful way of saying, "Screw you, Your Majesty." He deserved it."

"Thanks for sticking up for me," Jane said.

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

Their journey took them all the way to the palace, and into a place that Thor informed them was the Hall of Science (which sounded far too dramatic to Anna. Really, it just looked like an awesome library with a hologram of the universe playing overhead like they were in Hogwarts dining in the Great Hall). Once deep inside the record halls, Odin finally emerged from his thoughts to go on to explain what it was they were all desperate to know. It wasn't until they entered the room that he began though.

"There are relics that pre-date the universe itself," Odin said.

"How is that possible?" Anna asked. "If they predate it, where did they come from?"

"They were singularities," Odin explained, as if it made sense to the girl. "Once the universe came into existence, these relics still remained, more powerful than ever. What lies within her appears to be one of them."

Odin lead them to the far end of the library, and pulled out a book. He flipped through it as he continued to explain, "The Nine Realms are not eternal. They had a dawn, as they will have a dusk. But before that dawn, the dark forces, the Dark Elves, reigned absolute and unchallenged."

Odin flipped a page, and Thor read over his shoulder: "Born of eternal night, the Dark Elves come to steal away your light." He smiled softly and moved closer. "I know these stories. Mother told them to us as children growing up."

"I guess it's no better than the Brothers Grimm," Anna muttered to Jane. "I mean, the originals are very dark."

"Their leader, Malekith, made a weapon out of that darkness, and it was called the Aether."

 _I'm getting the feeling it's not the same as an ethernet cable..._

"While the other relics often appear as stones, the Aether is fluid and ever changing," Odin said. "It changes matter into dark matter. It seeks out host bodies, drawing strength from their life-force."

"So it's kind of like a parasite," Jane thought outloud.

"That's what I'm getting from it," Anna answered. "Except instead of it being a creature, it's an elf-made weapon."

"Malekith sought to use the Aether's power to return the universe to one of darkness, but after eternities of bloodshed, my father, Bor, finally triumphed. Ushering in a peace that lasted thousands of years."

"What happened?" Jane asked.

"He killed them all," Odin answered.

"Are you certain?" Thor asked. "The Aether was said to have been destroyed with them, and yet, here it is."

"The Dark Elves are dead," Odin persisted.

"Does your book happen to mention how to get it out of me?" Jane asked.

"No," Odin answered simply. "It does not."

Anna placed her hand on Jane's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "We'll find a way, Dr. Foster. Don't worry."

Though, she didn't know that SHIELD specialized in the impossible.

"Come, we'll find you two something more comfortable to wear. I'm sure you must be freezing," Thor said.

"Oh, thank God," Anna groaned. "I'd really not like the catch a cold."

"Yeah, that and the Aether would just really suck," Jane laughed, lightening up just a bit.

"Oh, and Anna?" Thor asked. "There's something I'd like to show you that you might like."

* * *

 **You have no idea how much fun I had having Anna tell Odin off for his behavior towards Jane, and humanity itself. It felt so good to get all that off my chest and in through Anna. Anyway, I hope you guys like it, and next chapter brings some new toys to the playing field for Anna, and it's something that will stay with her for the rest of the Little Miss SHIELD series.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **FelixFelicis02** _ \- Anna and Loki won't see eachother for another two or three chapters, but they will be reuiniting, I assure you that, and it's definitely amusing to say the least.

 _ **Howling2themoon** _ \- It's won't be emotionally fun for Anna, that's for sure. Glad you liked the chapter!

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ I've got a few months before my birthday. July 11th. Hope you like the start of this arc so far. I'm so excited to see people's reactions. I'm going to start writing the last chapter for this story, and start the next installment next week (Yay for Spring break!).


	34. Slangen

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Thor: The Dark World, or anything other than Anna and Jern Slange**

* * *

Chapter 33

Slangen

It was rather surprising to Anna just how much Jane could act like a stereotypical female. The first thing that the Asgardian and the two Midgardian women did after going their separate ways from Odin was to change, and for Anna, who was overwhelmed by the large selection that had been offered to the two women, was able to find something rather fast.

The outfit Anna had picked out was a cross between an elegant dress, combined with that of a uniform or armor of a warrior. The color scheme was primarily black and blue. To start, around her chest and midsection was a tight black corset, while the inside color, the space that was left in the front where the lacing was done, was a deep navy blue. There was elegant lavender lace over the holes where the ties to the coser were, running up parallel in the very front of the bodice. Around her chest hung a protective metal breast plate, that was secured with metal straps that were hidden under more lavender cloth, acting like eleceng straps over her shoulders, and even draping two pieces off the side over the middle of her forearm and into the back of the breast plate. Under these areas on her arms were long sleeves. The top portion, the side that was facing out on the outer part of her arms was avy blue, just like the color in the strip in the middle of the bodice. Underneath on the underside of her arms was black.

On her lower half, instead of a full bodied skirt like many of the women she had seen walking around Asgard, Anna was left in tight, light navy blue legging like material that fit perfectly, and showed off the curves of her legs, and showed how small, but muscular she was. They fit perfectly and went down into the strong black boots she had on her feet, that went all the way up to the middle of her calves. That wasn't all though. Draped around her waist was a lavender clothe. It was brought around from the back, and then tied in the front, between her belly button and the bone of front of her pelvis. It didn't drape long, just far enough to cover her rear (though not that it needed to be covered, she was wearing pants, after all), and was draped loosely to two-thirds the way up her on her thighs. It came around to the front where it was tired. The strands of the excess material hung down like a certain, though the material was short enough where it only draped down to the same length that it was draping to her thighs.

Overall, the outfit was elegant, and clearly Asgardian, but even though it was decorative, and highly effective in terms of covert stealth, it was easy enough to move around and fight in. And in order to make it a bit more her own. She pinned her SHIELD badge onto one of the straps hold the breast plate, and hid her gun under the draping cloth around her waist.

Jane, on the other hand, was taking an eternity. And Anna knew exactly why. After getting belittled by Odin, the King and Thor's father, Jane wanted to be able to impress and seem like she fit in there on Asgard. She wanted to impress not only Thor, but Odin, and Thor's mother, and anybody else that happened to see them.

"Perhaps we shall leave you to it, and Anna and I will return once we are finished with my surprise?" Thor offered.

"Oh, okay, sure," Jane said, a bit embarrassed at how long it was taking her. "I'll be here...trying on clothes…"

Anna just chuckled and followed Thor out. Once Anna knew they were out of earshot from Jane, Anna said, "You know she's taking so long to pick because she wants to find something that looks nice for you."

"What?" Thor asked.

"She wants to look nice in something that's Asgardian, because it's what you know and are accustomed to," Anna clarified.

"She needn't go to all that trouble," Thor muttered, though there was a small smirk gracing his lips. "I always find Jane to look exquisite," he said.

"Then maybe you should tell her that," Anna said, bumping into Thor's side. "Girls love to hear that, especially from the guy they like."

"I shall keep that in mind," Thor laughed. Thor stopped, and went to a big iron door, engraved with some battle that most Asgardians were probably taught about, though Anna wasn't so sure. They walked in, and once through the threshold, Anna instantly knew it was an armory.

"You're not going to, like, torture me with as many Asgardian weapons as you can, are you?" Anna joked, though she wasn't so sure if she was completely joking or not. "I mean, here I thought we were friends, Thor!" she laughed.

Thor's thundering laugh echoed through the chamber, and that eased Anna a bit. "We are, do not fret," she assured her. "No, there's something I wish to give you." He started to make his way down one of the corridors, and Anna trailed behind him, studying the shelves or weapons she had only seen in old fantasy movies, or in princess cartoons.

"Steve could tell you I'm not too big on receiving gifts," Anna muttered.

"How fares the Captain?" Thor asked, glancing around one particular spot for something. He shifted some things around, not able to find what he was looking for.

Anna chuckled and in a teasing tone, replied back with, "I believe he fares well." She found the way they spoke on Asgard highly amusing. It was so proper and foreign to her that she couldn't help but tease Thor just slightly, though not to make fun of him, just because it was different for her. Not in a bad way, of course. Just a fun and refreshing way. "For the most part, everybody's doing well."

"That is good," he answered, and then smiled brightly, retracting his hand with what appeared to be a foot long metal pole from the shelf. "Ah, there you are," he exclaimed.

Thor kept the weapon in his hand, as well as the thigh holster that it had been kept it, and motioned for her to follow him out into one of the large halls, and down the corridor they went until they arrived to a large open court yard, where several guards and soldiers were training. They paid Thor no mind while he was up on the balcony, but once he stepped down into the sparring area, they fighting stopped and them men all hit their first over their heart. That was their way of saluting, Anna supposed.

"Please, continue," Thor instructed. Once in the center, he stopped and turned back to Anna. "This, my friend, is a gift to you," Thor said. "This is Jern Slange." He was holding it out in front of him, but the way he was holding it gave Anna the impression she wasn't supposed to take it yet.

"I know you are concerned that you are not a strong enough warrior, Anna," Thor said. "And every warrior has areas that can always improve upon, but shear strength alone does not the warrior make. You are fast, smart, and flexible. And that is why Jern Slange would be a perfect fit for you."

"Okay, but how is it a perfect fit?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she listened and watching him, absorbing his teachings.

"You are adaptable, as is Jern Slange," Thor said.

Thor held out the pole in front of him vertically, and Anna watched him intently. His hand, squeezed, putting a tad bit more pressure on his hold of the metal shaft, and before her eyes, the weapon elongated from one foot, to five. Anna's mouth dropped. But that wasn't all. Thor spun the staff in his hand and held it horizontally in front of him, both hands now on the device. He shifted his wrists slightly and just like before, the weapon changed, this time it didn't change in length though, it just changed in structure. Instead of being a solid, straight staff, it went limp like a piece of rope or a whip. Her let go with one hand and pulled back his arm, and just like a whip, aimed the draw to Anna's head, but right before it bending material was going to hit her in the head, Thor turned his wrist once more and it went right back into it's solid staff form.

And just as he moved with it, Anna reacted instinctively. She bend down under the swing, and raised her arm, she grabbed the solid form with her hand and spun around, allowing the staff to slip out of Thor's grasp. She turned around, spinning the solid staff in her hand before it rounded back to her front and into both her hands. She had been trained in a simple bow by Natasha, so that aspect f the weapon was not foreign to her, but the other elements on the other hand, were very new and exciting.

"This defies the laws of physics, you know," Anna muttered in amazement. She examined the metal in her hands, and noticed that it was completely solid and smooth. No grooves in it whatsoever to show that it would be retractable, or that it would bend whatsoever. It didn't make any sense! "How is it possible?" she questioned.

"Our magic and science are the same thing on Asgard," Thor explained, which mean whatever he told her she wouldn't understand. "Why don't you try it out?"

Anna didn't need to be told twice. She did the same as Thor has, though much slower. She held the staff in both her hands and turned her wrists just slightly, and the material went limp in her hands. It was strange though. The exact spots she was holding it remains solid and easiest to grasp while straight, but the rest of it went limp. But the limp parts were still as strong and hard as metal, just with the qualities and characteristics of a rope. It was unbelievable. She turned them again, and the shaft sprung back up into it's solid form.

A bubbly, excited laughed escaped her throat, catching the attention of some of the males resting on the side steps from their training.

"Is that not one of the Midgardian women Thor brought back with him?" one soldier asked.

"Yes," the other answered.

"Why is she in our sacred training grounds? Is it not disrespectful to be here?"

"Thor permits it. Why question our Prince?"

Anna just ignored them. Nothing was going to foil her good mood. This was just too much fun. She did some tricky training exercises with the staff, which were rather impressive, if anybody asked Thor, and as she practiced, he stood there with a smile on his face and watched the young girl who was so delighted. He was so distracted by her good time that he didn't even notice when she spun around onto her knees and flicked the staff into its snake form to wrap around his knees. She pulled her arm back and pulled Thor right off his feet and flat onto his back with a thud and an " _Omph_!"

The soldiers all snapped to attention, and drew their weapons towards the female, but once the thunderous laugh of their prince rang out through the courtyard, they eased back, though a bit confused. Anna walked over with a triumphant smirk and helped Thor to his feet.

"You'll pay for that, young one," he told her.

"You should've been paying attention, _old man_ ," she retorted back just as playfully.

"It seems to me you've gotten the hang of it then," Thor said. He handed her the thigh holster and took the weapon from her to allow her both hands to put it on. She put it on with ease onto her right thigh, and then took the weapon back to shrink it back up to put away.

Anna has managed to get under control the extending of the weapon, as well as the limber shifting from solid to malleable. Returning it back to its original smaller state wasn't so easy. Anna squeezed, shook, and turned her wrists and the weapon around, but no matter how hard she tried to do it, she couldn't return it. Eventually, she took ahold of it and used the ground as an anchoring point to push one side into the other, with one hand on the shaft, and the other on the opposite end from the ground.

Thor just laughed shook his head. "Or, at least you will soon enough."

There was a single set of hands clapping in the distance, and with the sound of it, Anna and Thor both turned to see who it was. The soldiers, once again, performed their solute to the beautiful woman that was standing at the top of the steps. Her long hair was pulled back, and then draped down her back, while her blue dressed was clad with armor.

Thor placed a hand on the small of Anna's back and lead her to the woman. Once up on the steps, Thor smiled tenderly at the woman and then turned to Anna. "This is my mother, Queen Frigga." He then turned to his mother, and smiled softly. "Mother, this is-"

"Anna," the Queen said. "I know. I have heard much about this young one."

Anna was starting to just ignore the fact that everybody seemed to be calling her "young one" and bowed respectfully to the woman. "It's an honor to meet you, Your Grace," Anna said. She could already tell this woman was going to be far more pleasant to deal with than her husband. "Though, I'm surprised you know who I am. Your husband didn't seem to know, nor care, who I was."

"Yes, well, men are stubborn," Frigga said. "I am sure they are just as stubborn on Midgard."

"Well, I guess one thing in the universe has to be consistent," Anna laughed.

"Thor, Darling, why don't you allow me to escort Anna a bit," Frigga suggested. "There's something I'd wish to discuss with her."

Curiouser and Curiouser. The woman knew her name, and she actually has something she wished to discuss with Anna, a Midgardian that her husband had so readily dismissed. Whatever it could have possibly been, Anna had no idea. What would a Queen want with her?

"Yes, of course," Thor said, nodding to his mother. "I will see you soon, Anna."

Anna nodded to him and watched him go before turning back to the Queen. "Come, why don't we find someplace nice to sit and chat," Frigga suggested, offering her arm for Anna to take.

Anna didn't exactly know what to do. The only kind of information she knew about acting around royalty had come from Game of Thrones, and that wasn't real, so Anna just went along with whatever Frigga wanted. She wasn't giving her any reason to doubt her as of yet, so why not remain pleasant with at least one of the royal heads of Asgard?

"That sounds lovely," Anna answered, taking her arm gently. "Asgard is absolutely beautiful, You Grace. I don't think I've been anywhere more beautiful."

"Thank you, it is quite lovely, isn't it?"

The two walked in silence for several moments, making Anna uneasy. But as they walked, and she looked at the decor and through the windows out to the city and the beautiful water, she couldn't help but start to relax. Frigga lead her out to a balcony that faced the water, and together they sat in seclusion on a stone bench, cooling down from the soft breeze from the water.

"Thor's told me that he's met you on Midgard on several occasions," Frigga finally brought up. "He says you've treated him well."

"Yes, we first met when he was banished to Earth, and the agency I work for had him in custody. I interrogated him, and we spoke. Then I helped him when the destroyer came. And then later when he came back after…."

"After my youngest went to Midgard," Frigga finished for her.

It surprised Anna just how much she never thought about Loki since arriving to Asgard. He always managed to intrude in her thoughts back on Earth. At least once a day, but here? Not once. Not until this conversation. She had nearly forgotten that Loki was imprisoned on Asgard, and not on Earth.

That was fine by her. The further away from him she was the better.

"Loki has spoken of you several times as well," Frigga stated. "I see him every now and then. Odin and Thor don't visit him, as is their right."

Anna remained silent. She didn't know exactly what to say. She didn't want to disrespect the woman and bad mouth her adoptive son, the boy she had raised since infancy. Nor did she want to lie and praise the son of a bitch that tried to take over the Earth.

"He's spoken of how strong you are for how young you are," she went on. "He told me you spoke with him, and tried to appeal to his humanity, the brother in him. You tried to relate to him, to get him to realize the errors of his ways. And he told me what he made you do."

Anna couldn't bring herself to look at the woman. Instead, her blue-gray eyes remained plastered to the shimmering water before them. It was hard to believe they could talk about such a terrible subject with such a beautiful sight in front of them.

"I will not justify his actions to you, _especially_ not to you, young one," Frigga said. "But on behalf of my family, of Asgard, and on behalf of my youngest son, I do apologize for the horrors we've caused you."

An apology was not something Anna expected to hear. And it didn't do anything in regard to helping her hate the man that had done this to her. No, she tried to hate him. She really had, and maybe for a little while she had. He had manipulated her, controlled her, and instructed her to do suh terrible things, things she couldn't take back.

But as the thought that passed through her head like so many times before, Anna couldn't completely blame Loki. She didn't quite understand it all, she didn't understand any of it, really. But as everybody that had been under the control of that scepter stated, it had shown them something, something they would've never have known otherwise.

And what Anna had seen was a puppet, hanging by strings. And that puppet had been Loki. He had been manipulated just as she had. And perhaps, he had wanted to commit things, wanted to take over the Earth to have a world to rule as his own, but the powers and the way he went forth doing it was also influenced by the person that had given him the scepter in the first place.

"What was he like?" Anna asked without removing her eyes from the water. "When he was little. What was Loki like?"

Frigga smiled sadly as memories flashed through her mind. "He was always such a clever boy. My sons would always get into trouble, and more times than not Loki managed to get them out of it with his cleverness. But he was different, and people did take note, so he became the victim of childish bullying. Unlike Thor, he couldn't just physically intimidate someone, he had to learn how to use his brilliant mind and that's how he got his silver tongue. It's also why I taught him how to use magic."

Frigga glanced back at the girl, and noticed her troubled gaze. "I suppose you wished to hear something more menacing. Something that justifies your hatred towards my youngest," she said. "But I'm afraid I have nothing of the sort to tell you."

Anna shook her head and finally looked back to the Queen. "No," she answered. "I don't. I was looking for validation for why I don't."

The surprised the woman. "I'm sorry, I am afraid you've lost me."

Anna shook her head again and turned to face Frigga more. "I've tried to hate him," Anna explained. "But I can't. It's so hard to explain, and when I do, nobody seems to understand, but I can't hate him."

"Why don't you try to explain it to me, then, child," Frigga said. "I'm not just anybody."

"The scepter Loki used, it could control our minds," Anna explained. "But it wasn't exactly controlling, more rewiring it so that everything we were was still there, just mislead in the direction we were heading. We wanted to help. We desired it. So everything he instructed us to do, we did gladly. I wanted to help, and I wanted to kill those people because they were in his way, and by removing them, it was helping him. So, in theory, because he did that to me, I should hate him just like Clint and Selvig do, but I can't.

"Because whatever that thing was, it didn't just change us, it showed us thing we could never even dream of, and the thing that it showed me was that Loki wasn't completely in control. Yes, he wanted to rule. Yes, it was his plan and strategy, but it was because of everything that whomever gave him the resources, that manipulated and pulled the strings on Loki, that brought him to do it in this way. So, I can't completely fault Loki for that."

"I see," Frigga said. "No matter how much you desire to detest him, you can't, because you know what it's like to be changed. You know what it's like to be vulnerable, and weak, and have to do something that you have no control over."

"Yes," Anna said.

"I understand," Frigga told her. "And I am very grateful you were gifted with such a vision. It means that, perhaps, my son isn't lost to me forever."

There was no way of Anna to be sure of that, but at least she felt ten times better for getting that off her chest. She felt better not hiding it, and she felt better that somebody, even if it's the mother of the man himself, understood her. She'd be eternally grateful to Frigga for that.

Frigga sighed, and a small smile grew in the place of the frown that had previously graced her lips. "Come, let us rejoin Thor. I have longed to meet this woman he speaks so much of."

* * *

 **And so now Anna has a signature weapon of her own that will stay with her until the end of time. Or something like that. I felt like being dramatic. For those that didn't know, Jern Slange means Iron Snake, and the title of the chapter, "Slangen" means the Snake, which I thought was fitting because of both the weapon, and the talk of Loki. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and please, let me know what you think!**

Thanks go to the following people for the reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- That was definitely my favorite part of that chapter for sure. You don't have to come up with anything for my birthday!

 _ **FelixFelicis02**_ \- The interaction will come soon enough! I hope you enjoyed the interaction with Frigga, and seeing Anna's opinion on Loki.

 ** _candycrum _** \- I'm so glad you like it!

 _ **Fangirling007**_ \- I've always thought that too, so naturally I just HAD to do something in Thor for Anna to tell him off. She's gotta stick up for her human race!

 _ **CJ/OddBall-** _ Yeah, Odin's an ass. Bucky's soon enough! I love all of the scene's that have been written with them together so far. It's just soooo much fun.

 **P.S. I'm one of those people that obscenely organizes things for when I have stories, so if anybody wants me to, I have a whole chart with what events take place, how old Anna is for those event, what chapter they take place, and an actual date those happen. So if people are really interested, let me know and I can make a public google doc with that information. I'll have to update it each week so there aren't any spoilers for the future chapters and whatnot, and you should expect to have spoilers if you don't keep up regular with this story, but whatever. If you want it, let me know and I can make it happen.**


	35. Disaster

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Thor: The Dark World, or anything other than Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 34

Disaster

Neither Frigga nor Anna knew exactly where Thor and Jane were, so it did require a bit of searching before the two women finally found the two, leaning up against a railing overlooking the city, with their lips locked together.

"Well, that's not exactly what I expected to see," Frigga muttered, with a coy smile on her lips as the two continued down the hallway towards Thor and Jane.

The two love birds parted, but only enough to remove their heads from one another. They were only inches apart as they spoke to one another.

"I'll find a way to say you, Jane," Thor promised her.

"Your father said there was-"

"My father doesn't know everything," Thor assured her.

"Don't let him hear you say that," Frigga said, making their presence known.

Thor smiled and righted himself. "Jane Foster, please meet Frigga, Queen of Asgard. My mother," he introduced.

Jane instantly retracted her hands from Thor's hold, and took two steps back in embarrassment. "H-Hi," she nervously greeted, urning a smile from everybody else in the conversation.

There wasn't any more time to continue a conversation between the four, as extremely loud horn like alarms started to blare through the city. Anna looked outside, and then to Thor and Frigga. Anna didn't know what the alarms meant, but it obviously couldn't be good. Loud alarms rarely were.

"What's that for?" Anna asked, her hand instinctively going to the gun on her hip.

"The prison," Frigga answered worriedly.

"Loki," Thor muttered in realization of who was there.

Anna stomach dropped, and the gun was no longer hidden on her hip. She removed it, and had it ready in her hand in case the time came for her to use it.

"Go," Frigga told her son. "I will look after her," she said, in regards to Jane.

Anna nodded her head in agreeance. "We've got this."

Thor ran up the steps, and he shed his cloak as he ran to the balcony edge. Without a second thought, he left over the edge, and out of nowhere flew in Mjolnir. He caught it, and off he flew in the direction of the prison.

"Come, this way," Frigga instructed, leading them back into the building and down the hallway. It wasn't until they heard the voice of the king did Frigga slow to a stop, waiting for her dear husband to come close enough to speak with.

"Send a squadron to the weapons vault, defend it at all costs," he ordered. "Seal the dungeon."

"Odin," Frigga called, pulling the powerful man to a fault.

"Frigga," he exclaimed in surprise. Before going back to address his wife, he looked to the Commander and instructed, "Go!" before going back to his wife. "It's a skirmish. Nothing to fear."

"You've never been a very good liar," Frigga informed him, seeing straight through his words.

"Take her to you chambers," Odin instructed. "I'll come for you when it's safe."

"You take care," Frigga pleaded.

"Despite all I have survived, my Queen still worries over me," Odin told the girls affectionately about his wife, reaching out to her with such tender care.

"It's only because I worry over you that you have survived," the woman retorted. She nodded to Odin and then started to walk, and the two girls started after her in a hurry. What Anna never expected was to see the Queen steal a short sword away from one of the scabbard of a passing soldier. "Listen to me now," she instructed. "I need you to do everything I ask, no questions."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jane muttered back quickly, trying to keep up.

"Anna, you may need to make good use of that Jern Slange," Frigga directed to the youngest female.  
"Yes, Your Grace," Anna answered back. She placed the gun back on her hip and then took out the said weapon, and gave it a hard squeeze, elongating it in a matter of seconds. "With pleasure.

* * *

Anna stood by the steps to the balcony in Frigga's chambers, watching as the ships flew around, and the large guns guarding Asgard shot some out of the sky, but that went without saying that some of their own guns were taken down as well.

And then, out of nowhere, a shimmering gold field started to emerge from the ground up, all the way around the palace. They had protection now, but that didn't stop whoever was already in the palace from getting them, it just stopped more from entering the premises. It meant they were all still in danger. It meant Jane was still in danger. But almost as soon as the shield when tup, it came down. Something had to have gone wrong.

"I feel like I'm living a star wars movie or something," Anna muttered to herself.

The door to the chambers opened, and Anna, in a second, was over in front Queen Frigga, who stood protectively in front of a fearful Jane. Jane, just as instructed, moved further back into the chamber and tried to stay as far away from the intruder that had entered, though e wasn't alone. There was another with him, and Anna, of course, moved closer to protect Frigga.

"Stand down, Creature," Frigga ordered. "Ad you may still survive this."

"I have survived worse, Woman," the man retorted.

"Who are you?" Frigga demanded.

"I am Malekith," he informed them. "And I would have what is mine."

Malekith's gaze was directed at Jane, and just as they had suspected. As Malekith stepped closer, as did his little lacky. Jane moved further back and way, but the before the lacky could go any further, Anna stepped between him and Jane's direction, the Slange pointed directly at him, her stance defensive.

"Not a wise move, if I were you," Anna informed him, almost daring him to try.

Frigga stopped Malekith by drawing the hidden sword, scratching him in the face. He stumbled back, and angrily turned back to Frigga.

The Dark Elf growled, and lunged forward with his blaster aimed at Anna, Anna snaked the weapon, and wrapped it around his wrists and ducked, twisting the rope like metal around his wrists to force him to drop the blaster. Once that was out of the way, Anna kicked it to the side, and released one side of the snake, allowing it room to snap back into shape when she twisted her wrist to straighten it, which popped back up to smack the Elf under his chin.

The Elf faltered back, but it didn't take long for him to regain himself. It was long enough, however, for Anna to use the distance to her advantage. She pulled out her gun and emptied the round into the elf, dropping him to the ground dead. Anna dropped the gun, no longer able to make any use of it.

Anna was going very well against an enemy she had never gone against. As the young woman turned to go aid Frigga with Malekith, though the Queen seemed to have it handled herself, Anna was knocked across the room from someone behind her. Anna was sent flying into one of the large stone pillars, bashing her forehead against the corner. The hard surface scraped again the smooth skin, blood dripping down the side of her head. Once she landed, she landed on the stone steps, bruising her hip and her ribs on that side.

Her vision was blurry, but Anna managed to slowly sit up enough to see the person that had thrown her, disarm Frigga, and lift her into the air, pressing his knife in her back in warning not to try anything.

Anna stumbled to her feet while Malekith started to walk passed. Anna, desperate to stall for more time for help to come, lunched forward and tackled Malekith to the ground. She couldn't move as fast as she had before due to the concussion, but at least she was doing something. Malekith pushed Anna off him and stood back up. Before turning back to Jane, he raised his foot and bashed it against stomach, bruising the other side of her ribs. The air was completely knocked out of her and it took a while for her to be able to think straight to breathe from the concussion.

"You have taken something, Child," Malekith told Jane. "Give it back."

Jane just stood there, and when Malekith got closer, he reached out to her, and his hand went straight through Jane, the illusion disappearing. His attention snapped back to Frigga and he accusingly yelled, "Witch!"

Anna rolled to her hands and knees and tried to stand, but she tipped over from the dizziness in her head. Malekith, his large black monster friend, and Frigga ignored the stumbling child. "Where is the Aether?"

"I'll never tell you," Frigga told them.

"I believe you," Malekith said.

Her head raised just in time to see the monster drive its sword into the back of the Queen. "No," Anna gasped, unable to do anything about it.

Loud roar came from the open door, and in show a bolt of electricity, smashing into Malekith's face. The monster grabbed him, and rushed to the balcony. As Thor ran in, the two made it to the ledge. Thor threw his hammer, making contact with the shoulder of the beast as they fell over the side, but it was already too late. The two landed on the ship below and were gone. That didn't stop him from throwing it again in a desperate attempt to stop them.

While Thor was busy with them, Odin entered the room, staring in disbelief and grief at the sight of his fallen wife on the floor. He fell to the floor, bringing her body close to him, and fought back the tears.

It was then that Jane came in and saw what had happened after the illusion had decapitated. She froze, the sight horrifying her because she knew this was because of her, but then her eyes fell to Anna, and she knew that she could be of at least a little help, and helped the girl to her feel.

They shared a long look at one another, before backing out of the room to let the family grieve on their own.

* * *

The Asgardian funeral for Queen Frigga and all the fallen during the attack had been the most beautifully sad thing Anna had ever seen in her entire life. It took place at the waterfront, and the Queen was sent off on the boat, covered in flowers down to the falls. An archer sent out a flaming arrow, and ignited the boat, and then shortly following, hundreds of burning arrows soared down from the sky to ignite the rest of the boats.

With hundreds of boats burning behind her like candles, Frigga's vessel approached the edge of Asgard's sea. The water flew over the edge and into space, but Odin struck his staff to the ground, and rather than drop over the edge immediately, the funeral vessel continued to drift beyond the water's edge, until her spirit itself rose from the boat and lifted into the cosmos like thousands of scattered stars.

The citizens of Asgard cradled orbs of light, which then followed out of their hands and into the sky with the light that had been released from Frigga's vessel, and released into the night sky. The orbs float up, each a tribute to a lost loved one.

It was something that, no matter what point in her life, Anna would never forget. It even kept her up all that night. It just made her recall her parents, and her brother, and everybody that had ever been important to her that had died.

Things were very quiet that next morning. Anna and Jane had shared a chamber, and had remained relatively silent because of everything that had happened the day before. The castle, and all of Asgard seemed to be in a complete state of mourning, and the place just didn't look as beautiful as Anna had found it the previous day.

The two girls were waiting in the room to see what it was they were supposed to do now, for they still had the issue of the Aether inside Jane. They wanted to allow everybody to mourn, but the situation was very time sensitive. And from the way Jane kept spacing out, Anna knew it was more dire than she realized.

It had been very early, the birds had been the only noise around the palace. Anna was holding a cold pack to her stomach to ease the pain in her bruised ribs, and she had a small clasping bandage to keep the cut together. She had a small concussion, with a headache, and she felt like everything was moving slow, but that was it. She was lucky.

Jane got up from her seat and slowly made her way to the balcony, staring up at the sky at something that wasn't really there. Anna narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Jane?" she called out, but the woman just kept going. It was very concerning. Anna got up and set the back down. "Jane?" Again, no answer. Anna stepped closer to follow Jane, but as she did so, the doors opened and three guards walked in.

"Jane Foster?" the frontman asked.

"What's going on?" Anna demanded.

"You need to come with us," he instructed.

"On whose authority?" Anna asked, stepping between the two parties.

"King Odin," he answered.

"It's okay," Jane answered. "Just go find Thor."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Jane nodded. "I'll be fine," she insisted.

* * *

Thor was just as upset, if not more so at the news of Jane's detainment, and he was even angrier once he had returned from speaking with his father, and after he had obviously gone out to get a drink to try and think. Not too long later, Thor returned and met Anna pacing around her chambers. He motioned with a nod for Anna to follow him, but there were no words uttered between them, so Anna was greatly confused.

Finally, Anna couldn't take it any longer. They were leaving the palace and she had absolutely no idea where they were going, or why. She didn't like secrets; she liked answers. "Where are we going?" she pressed.

"You'll see soon enough," he told her without looking in her direction.

"Yeah, that makes me feel so much better," Anna muttered, but continued to follow without pressing the matter any further.

The two didn't stop until the reach an extremely run down and small pub where they went in and took the back room. Not that it really seemed they needed to go all the way back there for privacy. There wasn't anybody even remotely in the vicinity of the place. But, if this was as important as Thor was leading her to believe by not telling her what they were doing and why, it was best have the utmost discretion, even if it wasn't all too sensitive.

But once they sat down, and the rest of his merry men, and the warrior woman, and the gatekeeper in gold joined them, Anna knew that this was more sensitive than she thought.

Anna sat to Thor's left, her head cradled in one hand while the other fiddles with Slange. Volstagg was to her right, and going around the table in that direction was Fandral, the blond flirt of the group, followed by Lady Sif. Off to the right of Thor, standing in the corner was Heimdall, without his helmet, the one Anna had never seen him without.

"What I'm about to ask of you is treason of the highest order," Thor finally spoke, catching Anna's attention instantly. This was it, this was what was so important. "Success will bring us exile and failure shall mean our death. Malekith knew the Aether was here, he can sense its power. If we do nothing he will come for it again, but this time lay waste to all of Asgard."

Thor paused, and it seemed as if he was waiting for everybody to get up and leave. The stakes were high and many people wouldn't have been willing to take the chances on the mission, even if it was for something they believed in, or if it was the right thing to do. But as he waited, nobody moved.

Anna nodded. "You don't see anybody leaving, so go on."

Thor nodded back and went on. "We must move Jane off-world."

Lady Sif brought up an important tidbit of information, "The Bifrost has been shut down and the Tesseract locked away in the vault."

"There are other paths off Asgard. Ways known only to a few," Heimdall answered.

"One, actually," Thor corrected.

Of course, Anna had no idea who he was implying, but after a moment, Thor's comrades seemed to realize who he was talking about. It left Anna feeling a bit dumb. After all, the only Asgardians she knew were practically all in that room, with a few exceptions, of course.

"No," Volstagg stated.

"He will betray you," Fandral pressed, in agreeance with Volstagg.

"He will try," Thor said.

Anna didn't want to sound dumb, but she didn't want to remain in a state of ignorance either. "Who will?" she asked.

Thor glanced at her, and then looked away, obviously feeling some emotion that Anna couldn't quite decipher. But whatever it was was leaving him hesitant to answer her question, and from looking her directly in the eyes. "Loki," he finally stated.

It was like time froze for the brunette, and it felt as if her stomach had suddenly dropped all the way off the side of the waterline where all the funeral boats had gone. Loki was in prison, obviously. And if Thor was even thinking about getting help from him, that meant breaking him out. Letting that man out of prison was not something Anna was comfortable with. Even thinking about him wasn't something she prefered to do.

"No," Anna said, shaking her head along with her words. "No. We're not using him."

"We have to, Anna," Thor said. "It's the only way to get Jane off world."

"No, there's no way in hell I'm ever putting any trust or faith in that man," Anna said.

"As much as I hate to agree with Thor on this, he is our best chance at finding another way," Sif said.

"No, I killed my men because of him. By my own hand!" Anna said. Even if she didn't necessarily hate him, that didn't mean she didn't get angry, or ever want to see him again. "One of them was my own Uncle. I can't. I don't want to be anywhere near him!"

"Anna, please," Thor said, "You hold your position in high regards. Protect everyone, yes? Well, this is the only way to protect Jane. Protecting her is the only reason you came here in the first place. And using him is the only way to do that! Now, I can assure you I have a plan to make sure he doesn't turn on us. There's no way I'm going to trust him. There won't be any room for deception. But we do need him."

Now, with that argument, it was harder to turn his idea down. She didn't exactly trust Thor couldn't keep things strictly professional between him and his brother. But, he was right when he said there was only one purpose for her being there, and that was to protect Jane and make sure she got home in one piece after this whole thing was over. It wasn't just her duty as a SHIELD agent, it was her personal morals too. She couldn't just abandon Jane like that.

"I need your word," Anna said.

"And you have it," he said, offering her his hand.

Anna shook her head and ignored the gesture. Instead, Anna put her elbows on the table and cradled her head. She had a splitting headache from the concussion she currently had, and it definitely didn't seem like it would be going away anytime soon. Especially not after that news.

But getting back to work, Fandral brought the discussion back to the plan. "Well, what then? Your lovely mortal is being guarded by a legion of Einherjar guards who will see you coming from miles away."

"I won't be the one who comes for her," Thor answered, turning his gaze to Sif.

"Me?" she asked.

Thor nodded his head. A simple reply, one that was met with annoyance and a roll of the eyes, but compliance nonetheless. "Anna can't do it, they'd suspect her as much as they would me," Thor said.

"And what of the Allfather?" Sif asked.

It was Heimdall's time to speak up now. "It is my sworn duty to notify him of crimes against authority," he said.

"Ah, so you call him out to you, to tell him, and while he's on h is way there, that's when we act inside," Anna thought outloud.

"Yes," Fandral said. "Took you a bit longer than it should have though. Are you sure this mortal child can keep up."

"Hey, come on, man. I've got a concussion." Anna muttered.

Fandral gave an amused chuckle and a nod at her words and allowed for the conversation to go on.

"Assuming you can get Loki's help and you can free this mortal, what good would it do? We'd all be dead the minute we step one foot outside the palace," Volstagg went on.

"That, my friend, is why we won't be leaving by foot," Thor answered.

* * *

 **So the plan is set, and Anna is not pleased that she has to see Loki whatsoever, but she'll do what needs to be done. You can all look forward to THAT meeting next week. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and let me know what you guys think in a review. Only 6 more chapters until the end and then the beginning of _Candle in the Dark_.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 ** _FelixFelicis02_** \- I really do love Anna's new weapon, and it's a big element at the end of this story, as well as going into the next one. You'll see what I mean when the time comes. ;) Anyway, I hope you liked tha chapter, and I hope you look forward to the next (As well as Condolence)

 _ **Howling2themoon**_ \- I'm glad you liked it.

 _ **candycrum**_ \- That's great to hear. Thank you so much for reviewing!

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777-**_ Okay, Google Doc should be up on my profile. If there are any issues just let me know! I'm so glad you loved the chapter. Hope you're looking forward to seeing Loki again. Lol I'm terrible at waiting too, that's why I made my schedule to begin with. That way I'm forcing myself not to just update every day and then have so long without updating.

 _ **CJ/OddBall-**_ Lol I guess it kind of is, but I wasn't intending it to be anything like it. I was just thinking about a versatile weapon that she could have. There will be a tie in at some point for Doctor Strange, but this isn't it. lol

 _ **acompletenerd**_ \- She'll always have an affect, but she won' change very much cannon. It's a thing of mine. Like she won't save someone that's supposed to die.


	36. Too Much Talking

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Thor: The Dark World, or anything other than Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 35

Too Much Talking

Wreckless plans were things Anna was very used to. It was something that, as weird as it sounded, didn't freak her out or make her uneasy. There were so many occasions in not only undercover work, but during team missions she now knew, that required pulling a new plan right out of their butts. Things never really went as planned, and that was something Anna was okay with as long as, in the end, the mission was completed successfully.

But any plan that required the help of Loki, Anna was very, very uncomfortable with. While Lady Sif was off kidnapping Jane, and Thor was breaking Loki out of his prison, the group would then proceed to the Harrow Ship where Volstagg was (which was a very stupid name for a ship, if anybody asked Anna, which they didn't), they'd use that to get out, and as a distraction. Later they would depart that and join Anna and Fandral in the flying skiff, which was currently parked under the west bridge waiting for the signal. Anna was sitting on side of the boat, staring down into the water, while Fandral looked towards the castle.

It was obvious by the way he was shifting from foot to foot that he was uncomfortable and bored. So it was no surprise when he turned and started to address the brunette. "So, how did you end up doing what you do, Young One?" He sat down on the bench by the steering, his legs crossed and posture perfect.

Anna sighed and got up, facing the way he had just turned his back to. Somebody had to keep an eye out for the Harrow Ship. "Uh, I was born into it," she answered.  
"But that doesn't mean you have to stay," he said. "Why do you keep doing it? You're pretty and smart, I'm sure there are many opportunities for you."

Anna ignored the compliment and went on to address the rest of his question. "Guess I don't really want to do anything else," she answered. "It's been my life. Plus, I've been told my morals, honor, and sense of duty control how I act so…"

"Ah, yes, I understand," Fandral said. "And I would like to apologize on behalf of Asgard for the grief Loki has caused you."

Anna nodded and crossed her arms. "You have nothing to apologize for," Anna said. "He does."

"And if he did, would you accept it?" Fandral pressed.

"Honestly?" Anna asked, turning her eyes to the blond. "I don't know."

"I don't blame you," Fandral said. "I know we don't."

Anna just nodded again, though this time it was more absent mindedly than really answering or acknowledging his words. Her eyes caught movement in the distance, and by the second, the objects grew bigger and bigger. It was the ship, and it was now time for them to work.  
"Fandral, they're coming," Anna told him, moving aside so he could work the flying skiff, seeing as she had no clue how to.

Once he took his spot, he started up the skiff and off they went. Anna held onto the side of the contraption, worried he'd turn suddenly and she'd be thrown into the water. "And now the fun truly begins," he laughed.

"I think we have very different definitions of fun," Anna muttered as they caught up to the ship.

Before they could do anything else though, out flew a person, falling as if they had tripped and fell out of the Harrow Ship. Fandral slowed down do they would fall into the skiff, and once they made contact, the skiff dipped from the sudden addition of weight. It didn't affect the path they were on as they continued to wait for the rest of the party.

Originally, Anna had moved to help whoever it was, but once they were inside, she stopped and stared, then glared. It was Loki.

Thor landed a couple moments later with Jane in his arms. He too looked down at Loki as Fandral laughed. Loki staggered to his feel, disgruntled from the fall, which obviously hadn't been his fault. Anna wouldn't have been surprised if Thor pushed him out.

"I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki," Fandral teased.

Loki just ignored him and glared at Thor as the man laid Jane down. She looked far worse than Anna had last seen her. So Anna ignored Loki and the unsettled feeling in her stomach and went to check on the woman. She moved a strand of hair behind her ear so it wouldn't tickle her face.

"You lied to me," Loki told his brother. "I'm impressed."

Thor stood back up, feeling better than Anna was watching over Jane. "I'm glad you're pleased," Thor said. "Now, do as you promised. Take us to your secret pathway."

Compliantly, Loki moved to the control, where Fandral moved to the side to allow him his room to work. And that seemed so unwise to Anna. Her whole being told her not to trust anything to do with that man.

"I really don't trust him behind the wheel," Anna told Thor softly. Thor just ignored her concern.

Openly staring at Loki, she watched as he manipulated the tiller and grinned in genuine glee. He moved them away from the bridge, but kept them just above the waterline, just as Fandral had. This new course drew the attention of more skiffs though, and they began firing at them. Anna ducked over Jane, shielding the woman in case one came towards her. The skiff wavered left to right to avoid the shots, but it was obvious they were going to need to take them out. Loki needed to change his path again though for the direction of the pathway through, which left them even more exposed.

"Fandral," Thor called.

"Right," he answered, instantly knowing what he was to do. The blond grabbed one of the ropes and looked at Thor one last time to say, "For Asgard" before jumping over the ledge.

Anna couldn't see what he was doing, but soon after he left, the shooting stopped. Once it stopped though, Anna sat back, still watching over Jane, and her eyes staring at Loki once more. He wasn't paying much attention to the occupants of the skiff, instead, he was watching where he was flying, which was towards the rocky mountain peak, where there was a small narrow cave.

"Loki…." Thor muttered cautiously.

"If it were easy, everyone would do it," he answered back.

"Are you mad?" Thor demanded.

 _No shit,_ Anna thought.

"Possibly," Loki answered with a wicked grin.

Anna tried to look over the large pointed front of the skiff, but before she could get a look, Thor moved over her and Jane to protect them, which meant she couldn't turn and look at anything.

The skiff bounced back and forth against the walls of the caver, knocking rocks into the skiff. Had Thor not been protecting the two women, they would've gotten hit several time. Before she knew it though, they were out of the tunnel and she heard Loki chuckle out a "Tada!" which seened highly inappropriate to her.

Thor sat back, onto the other side of Jane, running his fingers over her hair comfortingly as she slept. How she could sleep through all that, Anna didn't know. Not even when she was exhausted.

It as no wonder this was the home of the Dark Elves. The sun was in a constant eclipse, basking the world in very little light, and distorting the colors that were visible Right around where they arrived, the ground was covered with broken and abandoned ships, making it feel even more eerie.  
"So, where are we?"

"Svartalfheim," Thor answered.

"I don't think I can say that," she muttered.

Thor chuckled. "It's not a world we speak of often," he said.

"It's definitely not one I say frequently."

"I know you."

Thor and Anna turned their attention to Loki, who was sitting in the seat Fandral had previously occupied. He was looking directly at Anna, his eyes narrowed as if trying to figure out who she was.

"Unfortunately," Anna answered.

"You are not of Asgard," Loki continued on, still racking his brain for just how exactly he knew Anna. "You are friendly with Thor, and you know of Thor's mortal woman, so you are a Midgardian."

"Oh, he's very intuitive," Anna grumbled to Thor, who just kinda smirks at her words.

"And we are acquainted?" he went on.

"Yes, on Earth," Anna answered.

It was like the proverbial light bulb went off over his head. "Ah the opinionated little sister." And there he had it. He knew who she was. She was the girl that tried to relate to him, to show him his humanity while he had been locked up in that glass containment unit back on Earth. The girl he used and showed how easy it was to just let the darkness consume her. Apparently, what he had shown her hadn't stuck though. "I see you're still pretending to be a hero."

"I told you this before, and I'll tell you again: I'm not trying to be a hero. I'm just trying to do the right thing," she reminded him.

"You still care too much. If you keep this up, you'll become exactly like me," Loki informed her.

"A prisoner?" Thor added in.

Loki glared at his "brother" as he continued to address the brunette female. "How is your dear big _brother_ , Child?"

There was an awkward silence as Loki waited to hear her reply. Anna wasn't going to lie. Perhaps she could make him feel _something_ if she told him the truth, though she highly doubted it. "He's dead," she answered.

That took Loki off guard. He furrowed his brow, his lips agap just slightly as the information processed in his head. Before he could even think of something to come back with, Thor placed a hand on Anna's shoulder in a comforting manner, and she went on to say something different, something she knew he wouldn't be very comfortable with.

"I spoke with your mother," she informed him, staring right at him. "She said you've talked about me. Guess talking about me doesn't make you remember what I look like, does it? I mean, took you a pretty long time to remember who I was."

The topic of Frigga was obviously painful for him. She knew she didn't have much of a right to speak of the Queen, especially her her sons, adopted or otherwise. It did get him to shut up though. And Thor, though pained by the memory of his mother, was interested in the interaction between the two.

"I want to give my condolences," Anna told him. "I know how it feels-"

"How could you possible know how it feels," Loki spat.

Answering came so smoothly now that it didn't really affect her emotionally, not unless she was already a mess. "Because my parents were murdered right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to stop it," Anna said. "So yeah, I know how it feels to have them taken away from you. I know from them, my brother, my uncle, so yeah. Don't tell me I don't know what it's like because as much as you like to think you know me, Loki, you don't."

"I know enough," Loki said.

"Really?" Anna inquired. "Please tell."

"Anna," Thor warned. He knew she might not like what she heard.

The blonde was ignored by everybody.

"You think me a monster, a heartless being that forced you to do terrible things because I believe it to be fun, and regret none of it because I truly don't care about anybody but myself," Loki started to explain.

Anna just laughed. "Really? That's what you think I think of you?" She shook her head and looked at him sadly. She got up and walked across the skiff to him, sitting down on the floor and looked up at him as he sat in the driver's seat. "You really don't know anything about me at all."

"Oh, then enlighten me," he pressed.

"You think I hate you and blame everything I did on you," she said. "But I don't. I told your mother this before she died, after she apologized for your actions to me. I don't."

Anna had never seen a more confused face on the trickster, not even after being played by Widow. He just gaped at her in silent confusion, hoping that she'd go on and not keep him hanging. Perhaps she would give more information if she just kept going.

"I know what it's like to be vulnerable, week, and to not have control over anything, despite control being the only possible thing you truly long for," Anna said. "I don't claim to understand why you did it, or to justify why you did any of the things you've done, but I do know how you've felt. And I know what the scepter showed me. So no, I don't blame you. I may not like you, but I don't hate you. And I'm not indifferent either."

"I give you every right to hate me, yet you don't," Loki said. "I can't tell it you're stupid, or-"

"Kind," Thor finished for him, though that was definitely not the word Loki would have used.

But in reality, it was true. Anna was kind. She rarely hated, and though she had enemies, she didn't always fault them. She knew not everything was as it seems, and there were always things, factors that she could didn't know that were in place, and so she tried to never hold anything against anybody. Some would call her stupid, some would call her opinionated, and others may call her kind.

The silences in the boat seemed to bounce off the utter silence from all around them. The way the conversation ended made the tension in the boat unbearably tense and awkward. At least Jane was unconscious for it. She didn't have to suffer through it, though Anna wouldn't have traded places with her because of her situation (though that was a lie, Anna would have traded places in order to prevent the woman from suffering, which went all the way back to Thor's description of Anna being kind).

Loki watched Thor as he fixed the blanket over Jane as she rested. He stood up, and Loki shook his head. "What I could do with the power that flows through those veins," he muttered.

"It would consume you," Thor answered.

"She's holding up alright," Loki pointed out. "For now."

"She's strong in ways you'd never even know."

The way Thor spoke about Jane was so sweet, and it would make any good swoon, especially if he was talking about them. It made Anna's heart clench. Anna had pretended to be in love before, not just with Yassa either. But she had never had the privilege of letting anybody get close enough to the real her (whomever that may have been, she didn't really know at that point anymore), to have the chance of falling in love. Yassa was sweet, but there was always something about the way he spoke that made her long for someone else to say them. Perhaps it was because of his slutty ways, but she didn't always believe him. He'd eventually move on, and someone would love him the way he claimed to love Yana. There wasn't a future there.

But was there even a future for her while she was at SHIELD anyway? Phil died before he could marry the woman he was falling in love with, and that had only broken the surface of what the relationship could've been like. It was hard for agents of their rank to be able to live happily ever after. Clint was a rarity, but his relationship with Laura, and what Thor felt for Jane made Anna wish for that too.

But Anna, despite being more optimistic than some, was far more realistic. SHe didn't expect for any of that happen to her, which just made her heart hurt even more.

"Say goodbye," Loki said. Anna glanced up at him with a curiosity he had shown her earlier.

"Not this day," Thor answered.

"This day, the next, a hundred years, it's nothing. It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready," Loki said. "The only woman who's love you prized will be snatched from you."

 _Isn't the saying 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never had loved at all?'_ Anna thought.

"And will that satisfy you?" Thor retorted angrily.

"Satisfaction is not in my nature," Loki said.

"Surrender is not in mine," Thor shot back.

"The son of Odin-"

"No!" Thor corrected, standing up and stalking over to Loki. "Not just Odin. You think you alone were loved of Mother? _You_ had her tricks, but _I_ had her trust!"

"Trust?" Loki spat. ""Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her _die_!"

"What help were you in your cell?"

"Who put me there? _Who put me there!_ "

Thor stepped closer and grabbed Loki's arms, shoving him backwards. "You know damn well. You know damn well who!" He raised his fist back as if to punch his younger brother, but something compelled him to stop. He backed off, obviously still upset. "She wouldn't want us to fight."

It didn't even take Loki a second to respond with a much lighter sentence than the hurtful things he had previously been saying. "Well, she wouldn't exactly be shocked."

Anna had never seen a situation defused like that before. One moment the two brothers had been about to kill each other, and the next they were remembering their mother fondly, because of the first behavior. It was like, for just a brief moment, Anna had seen what the two had been like when they were younger, before everything fell apart with the family. Two brothers, often in conflict, but always brought back together because of love.

It was heartbreaking.

"I wish I could trust you," Thor said, finishing the scene before turning back to Jane.

Loki wasn't finished though. He'd have the last word. Anna watched as he stared at the back of his brother's head, his expression that of one that could've possibly been interpreted as regret.

"Trust my rage," he whispered.

They went back to the silence after that. And it was strange. One moment Anna thought there had been no hope for either of the brothers, but after seeing that human side to Loki, perhaps there was just a slim change, one that she hadn't seen before, for things to improve. Maybe that's what Frigga saw. Or, at least, Anna understood that's what she hoped for.

* * *

 **So there we have it! The conversation between Loki and Anna everybody has been wanting. I hope you all liked it. I know it was very hard for me to write, that's for sure. Anyway, next chapter they take on Malekith. So let me know what you think in a review and I hope you all loved the chapter!**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **Howling2themoon**_ \- Thank you!

 _ **FelixFelicis02**_ \- There you have it! Loki and Anna have met once more and spoken. I hope it was everything you had hoped it would be.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- I just wish FF had a feature where you could set up a designated time for things to get posted, you know? Like how YouTube does. I'm glad you liked the chapter even though it's your least favorite part of the movie.


	37. Another Lost

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel: Thor: The Dark World, or anything other than Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 36

Another Lost

It was a good deal later when Jane finally woke up, and while she was unconscious, the three debated over strategies for when they finally got to Malekith. When Jane finally opened her eyes, and from Anna's seat in front of her, nearly had a heart attack. The white of her eyes was no longer that. Instead, it was black, making her blue eyes stand out even more, making her look extremely demented. It was like something out of a horror or possession movie.

"Jane?" Thor called to her.

Jane sat up and turned to look at the horizon. "Malekith," she muttered, her eyes landing and direction all of them to the ship emerging from the clouds out in the distance.

If they went much further in on the skiff, they would've drawn too much attention to themselves. So eventually, the four departed the skiff and made their way to the Dark Elf's skip. They crept over the cliff, watching as Malekith and Kurse, his right hand man, exited out of the Ark and out onto the plans below.

Thor turned to Jane, the one that had the most to lose and the least combat experience out of the four, and asked, "All right. Are you ready?"

Jane just nodded, and Loki jumped in. "I am," he said.

Had one of her companions answered like that, Anna would have patted them on the shoulder, or playfully smacked them in the back of the head and said something along the lines of, "Wasn't talking to you" or "No comments from the Peanut Gallery please." But the thought of touching Loki really did not seem appealing to her. So it all went ignored.

"I made it known how much I disliked this plan, right?" Anna muttered as Thor stepped away from Jane.

"Immensely," Thor answered.

"You know, this plan of yours is going to get us killed?" Loki asked.

"Yes, possibly," Thor said. He took hold of Loki's cuffed wrists and went to unlock them, but he hesitated, and for good reason.

"You still don't trust me, brother?" Loki asked.

Thor smirked. "Would you?" He gave Loki a pointed stare before finally releasing Loki from the cuffs.

"No, I wouldn't," Loki retorted.

Knowing the plan was to trick Malekith with a betrayal, Anna grabbed Jane's arm. She knew that she wouldn't like what was coming, and seeing as Jane didn't know what the plan was, she would most likely react poorly. Anna needed to play along, of course, but she needed to make sure Jane didn't do anything to jeopardize the mission.

Loki turned and stabbed Thor in the stomach with a dagger. Thor made of cry of pain, and Loki pushed him over the ledge of the cliff. Thor rolled all the way down. Loki hopped down and made his way after him. Anna just grabbed Jane as she yelled out, "Thor, no!" She then let go, allowing her to run down, just like they knew she would. Anna, of the other hand, dipped back and started to run so she could flank the group.

 _I really don't like this plan,_ Anna thought, rushing down. _It gives too much power to Loki._ She didn't hate him, but that definitely didn't mean she trusted him.

The two men were further than the she was, and the wind whirling and the rocks sliding under her feet made it hard to hear the conversation going on, but she managed to hear a it as she crept behind the minion elves with Slange in her hands, the staff in solid form.

"You really think I cared about Frigga? About any of you? All I ever wanted was you and Odin, dead at my feet!" Loki spat as he continued to beat his brother. Loki was either a very good liar, or he was telling the truth. Either way, Anna couldn't tell which it was, and it was making her very unnerved. But she was in position, so she was forced to trust in Thor's plan.

Thor reached out his hand to grab Mjolnir, but as it flew towards him, Loki took his dagger and cut off his hand. He screamed out in pain, and as much as Anna wanted to trust in the plan, God, that looked real. And there was no possible way for her to determine if it was fake or not.

Loki grabbed Jane and held he at his side forcefully. "Malekith! I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift!" He then proceeded to throw Jane to the ground at Malekith's feet. "I ask only one thing in return, a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

Kurse said something in the Elven language that Anna didn't understand, but it was favorable towards Loki, it seemed. Malekith made his way to Thor, and demanded, "Look at me." When Thor didn't listen, he kicked him onto his back.

It was clear that Malekith wanted Thor to see his following actions, as raised his hand, lifting Jane up into the air with an unseen force. The entire group watched at Malekith drew the Aether out of Jane, which was exactly what they had hoped he'd do. That wasn't the hard part. The hard part would be defeating him and getting out of there once it was out. When it _was_ out, Jane dropped to the ground, the Aether temporarily hovered in the air between them.

"Loki, now!" Thor yelled out, signalling their movement.

Anna ran forward while the illusion that had been placed over Thor by Loki to make it looked like he was injured dissipated, and he sat up, holding his hand to Mjolnir. She threw herself over Jane in a sad attempt to protect the woman. Thor lifted Mjolnir, the hammer sparking to life as he got ready to attempt to destroy the Aether. There was no way that Anna would make it out of it though. She may be able to protect Jane, but even that was a long shot, but she knew there was no way for her to make it out okay when the lightning rain down.

What completely surprised Anna was something Loki did to divert from the plan. He rushed forward and threw himself over Anna and Jane to protect them. They never put that in the plan, and so she glanced back at him in surprise, the green eyes of the man looking at the Aether. He was risking his own life to protect her and Jane, two people he would've gladly taken out on multiple occasions.

The damn man made no sense to her!

The Aether exploded, and as the smoke cleared, Anna glanced around. She didn't see anything, giving her a bit of hope that the mission had succeeded. She glanced back at Loki, who was pressed over-top her, looking for confirmation that he was seeing what she was. And just when she was starting to get happy, red shards lifted off the ground before getting sucked up into Malekith.

"Oh fuck," Anna muttered.

"You can say that again," Loki mumbled back to her.

Malekith turned to retreat to his ship followed by Kurse. Before getting too far away though, Kurse turned and threw what looked like a grenade towards them. Anna found herself on the ground next to Jane. Loki had pushed them to the ground before the grenade went off, opening a black hole in the air. Loki was dragged off the ground and pulled into the air towards the hole of death.

Anna turned in an instant, her actions natural and instinctive, twisting her wrist and sending out the flexible Slange out to Loki. He grabbed ahold of it, but the black hole was too strong, and Anna was pulled off the ground as well. _I didn't think this through,_ she thought, as she used Slange to climb down to Loki.

Loki looked absolutely terrified, an expression she had never even though possible for the cold man. So he was human after all...She grabbed his hand, and then clung to his jacket. She couldn't stop them from going in, but at least he wasn't alone.

Then, out of the clear blue (or dust), Thor flew and grabbed them, sending all three of them to the ground. Thor went right back into fighting, but it took Loki and Anna another moment to catch their breaths.

"You tried to save me," Loki muttered.

"Yeah," Anna said, pushing herself to her feet.

"Why?" he demanded.

"Well, why did you cover me and Jane earlier?" she retorted, offering a hand for him to get up. The act would've never happened otherwise. It had only been more than fifteen minutes prior that she would've rather died than touch the trickster.

Loki cautiously took her hand and got up. The Art started up, and the hatch started to close off with Malekith right there. Thor swung his hammer and flew in that direction, leaving protecting Jane and fighting the others elves to the rest of them.

Slange was firmly grasped in her hands as she swung, ducked and blocked so many attacks from the elven goons. The staff version of Slange was best suited for Anna, she found, but she did appreciate the flexibility she had to change up the pace of a fight with its other forms. It was especially fun and gratifying to wrap it around an elf's foot and pull them out from under them.

However, just as she had done just that, one elf came up behind her and picked her up by her hair. He threw her to the ground and then stomped on her stomach, knocking all the air out of her lungs. She gasped, but no matter how much air she sucked in, it never seemed to fill them. While she was distracted with her need to breathe, the elf raised his blade and was ready to strike Anna down permanently. Before she could even think to swing her feet out and knock them out from under him to reset the fight, a dagger flew through the air and straight into the center of the forehead in the mask.

Anna rolled to her side and looked in the direction in which it had come, only to find Loki nodding to her. Anna scrabbled back to her feet and pulled the dagger out of the elf's face and lightly tossed it back to Loki.

His green eyes weren't on Anna long. They caught something in the distance, and that, in turn, directed Anna's eyes over there. Thor was on the ground, seemingly defeated with Kurse pummeling him into the ground. Loki was the first there with his inhuman speed. It took much longer, and as she ran she watched the black haired man impale Kurse from behind with an enormous blade.

Kurse slowly turned, evidently in pain from the wound, but it hadn't affected him like they had thought it had. He lunged forward and grabbed Loki by his arms, drawing him straight through the blade sticking out of his chest that Loki had just placed there.

Anna skidded to a halt in complete shock. That was definitely not what she had expected to happy today. Sure, she knew the plan was risky, and sure, she didn't exactly think it would work, but that didn't mean she expected any of them to get hurt like that. Let alone an Asgardian. If someone was to get hurt, she figured it would've been her. She's the human fighting, after all.

"No!" Thor screamed out.

Kurse glared at Loki another moment before throwing him away like a ragdoll. Loki groan, obviously in much more pain than Kurse was. He seemed completely unaffected. The Monster stalked towards him, and Anna resumed her run.

"See you in hell. Monster!" Loki threatened.

Before Anna even got over there, Kurse looked down and one of the black hole grenades went off at his hip. Before he could tear it free, it exploded, sucking him into the back hole. Thor for up and rushed to Loki's side, and Anna got there not too long after. She knelt down, and pressed her hand to the round in a pathetic attempt to help. She knew it wasn't going to work, and as Thor pulled him up into his arms, Anna sat back. She needed to let the brothers have their moment.

"No, no, no, no, no," Thor muttered, holding Loki. "Oh, you fool. You didn't listen."

Loki was shaking, and as each second went by, his face grew more pale. "I'm a fool. I'm a fool," he pathetically agreed.

Thor placed his hand on Loki's cheek to keep his eyes directed on him. "Stay with me, okay?"

"I'm sorry," Loki got out. He spoke quick, and to the point. He was scared, and he knew he was going to die. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Shh," Thor hushed. "It's okay. It's alright."

Loki's body grew calmer, and he stopped shaking. His face started to turn an odd mottled soot color.

"I'll tell Father what you did here today," Thor said.

"I didn't do it for him," Loki answered.

It was obvious that right after that, Loki slipped away. His eyes no longer moved, and his breathing stopped altogether. Loki was dead, and there was another one lost in this war with the Dark Elves. Another brother lost.

"No!" Thor screamed.

There were two things that needed to be done. Anna knew Thor needed some time to come to grip with the death of his brother. He need a moment to mourn. The second was that they really needed to get moving. Malekith was gone, and they needed to get a move on in order to try and save the universe.

Save the universe. Two years ago if someone told her she'd need to fight alongside aliens to save the universe she would've had them institutionalized. Now saving the world and now the universe was becoming normal, and that was both exhilarating and totally terrifying all at the same time.

But they really did need to get a move on. There was thunder off in the distance. Anna stood up, painfully dusting herself off as her blue eyes noticed the dust storm quickly approaching them. Moving around in that would be terrible. They needed to really get their asses moving now.  
"Thor, we need to go," Anna muttered cautiously to him.

"I can't leave him…"

Anna's heart sank. She knew how he felt. If she had been told to leave her brother, she wouldn't have been able to do it. It was insensitive of Anna to even think of suggesting it, but she had to.

"We can come back," Anna said, placing her hand on Thor's shoulder. "Someone can come back and get him so you can have your proper goodbyes, but if we don't go now, a lot more people could die, Thor. We can't let Loki die for nothing."

Thor just sat there, his eyes on Loki's face, his hands still holding his brother up off the ground in his arms and lap. He cradled him gently, as if that would somehow warm the cooling body of his brother, breathing him back to life. It wouldn't, they all knew, but all rational thinking went out the window when someone was hurting that much.

The storm was getting dangerously close, and each second let Malekith gain more distance between them. She needed to try and talk some sense into the Asgardian Prince. "I know how you feel right now," Anna assured him gently. "I know how broken you are right now; how much you want to scream, and crawl away into a hole, and I know how much you want to make Kurse and Malekith suffer for doing this to you. Trust me, I _know_ ," Anna reached over for his hand and squeezed it tightly. "You`'ll have your time to mourn, but right now, we have to go."

Slowly, Thor raised his head to look at Anna, and then Jane behind her. His eyes went back to Loki one last time before he laid him on the ground, and got up from the dirt. "You're right," he agreed.

"We should get some cover," Anna suggested. "We don't want to be caught in that storm."

Thor and Jane glanced in the direction Anna was looking in, and they both agreed. On their way to shelter in the distant cavers, they were caught in part of the dust storm. Luckily, it didn't cove them in it. It was thicker than Earth dirt, and though it hurt more to get pelted with, it was nice not to feel like she had taken a mudbath.

Thor covered Jane with his cape, and Anna was forced to remove the decorative cloth around her waist to wrap around her face to try and shelt her eyes and nose from the dust. Eventually though, after stumbling several times up the mountain, the three managed to get cover inside a cavern.

Just like the rest of the planet, the cave was dark. She's probably have to use the flashlight on her phone to illuminate the way if they went any further than just through the threshold of the cavern. Anna dusted herself off and shook her hair out to get whatever was stuck in it out. Once that was done, she put the cloth back around her waist, as it should have been.

"He's gonna unleash it," Jane spoke up once safely inside so she wouldn't get anything in her mouth. She turned and leaned up against a large waist height rock. "Not just on Asgard, or on a star. Malekith is going to destroy everything.

"How?" Thor demanded. "Jane, how?"

"Where did you get this information? I mean, we've all be together this whole time," Anna muttered, crossing her arms.

"I saw him on Earth," Jane answered.

"Another vision?" Anna questioned.

Jane nodded, but there was something else racking her brain. "Why would he go to Earth?"

"The Convergence," Thor stated.

"God, none of this would have happened if I hadn't found the Aether," Jane said.

"You don't know that," Anna said. "It's no use playing the blame game, trust me."

"She's right. Then Malekith would've only possessed it that much sooner," Thor said.

Jane glanced up at Thor, with sad eyes. "I only found it because I was looking for you."

Thor felt guilty about that, but there wasn't anything that could've been done. Thor was an important figure, not only on Asgard, but in the universe. He had things to do, people to save, and relationships to mend. Jane understood that now, but that didn't mean that it still didn't hurt, and Thor knew that. And he elt all the more guilty and saddened because of it. "Jane…"

"Now we're trapped here," Jane added.

"If there was one secret passageway here, there has to be another. We just have to be clever enough to find it," Anna thought, trying to think like Loki. Which was a scary notion...

Before Anna could take another step into the cave, a weird buzzing, and song echoed through the cavern. It definitely wasn't Anna. She had turned her phone off after taking the photo back on Asgard. Anna turned back to look at Jane because Thor most definitely wouldn't have a cell phone playing human music.

"It's not me," thor muttered.

"What the hell kind of music do you listen to…?" Anna muttered unimportantly.

Jane just rolled her eyes and pulled her phone out from the dress and answered it. "Hello?"

 _What kind of plan does she have to be able to get reception in space?_ Anna asked. _Maybe I need that plan if things like this keep happening..._

"Richard! Where are you?" Jane got up and moved passed Anna, going deeper into the caver.

Thor gave Anna and odd look, most definitely asking her what was going on and who Richard was. Anna could only shrug and follow after the woman. But it was curious. Why would anybody want someone else if they already had Thor? The man was a fucking god, and Anna didn't mean in the immortal sense!

Jane removed the phone from her ear, placed it on speaker, and then held it up to look at the screen. "Oh my God, this is amazing!" she explained.

" _Is it? I quite enjoyed our lunch despite never actually ordering anything."_

 _Oh, so she did go on a date!_ Anna thought, glancing cautiously at Thor, who seemed a bit bothered by the news. _Oh, the poor baby._

"How am I getting service here?" Jane went on, completely oblivious to what the man on the phone was doing to the man with them.

" _Is this a bad time? Do you want me to try you later?"_

"No, no, no!" Jane answered frantically. "Whatever you do, do not hand up the phone."

" _Okay then."_ The Richard guy sounded pleased to hear that. " _I was just wondering if you wanna try again? Ah, maybe dinner next time?"_

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Just stay on the phone, okay?"

 _Poor guy doesn't know he's being used,_ Anna thought, but she definitely wasn't going to tell Jane to stop. If she had a plan formulating to get them home, then by all means, use the man. She just kinda wished it didn't have to be on speaker so Thor wasn't getting jealous.

" _Yeah, I will."_

"Oh my God," Jane muttered, her eyes on the ground.

Anna walked over next to her to see what she was staring at. It was a soda can and a pair of keys (which Jane grabbed and put in her pocket), and so many pairs of shoes. "What the fuck?" Anna muttered, looking around at the ground.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"No, no, no. Nothing at all," Jane said, before standing back up. She put her phone off of speaker and placed it back to her ear. She turned to Thor and Anna and said, "Come on!" Jane lead them further into caver. She grabbed Thor's hand and dragged him.

"Wait, where are we going?" Thor asked. "Why are so many shoes in here?"

The three continued straight on and one second they were in the gave, and the next they were back at the factory warehouse where everything began. Anna stopped, and looked around. "How the hell…"

"Complicated. Too long to explain," Jane said. "We need to go back to my place. You following?"

"Damn straight," Anna answered, heading to her bike which was still in the same place she had left it. Anna connected her phone to the communications link in her helmet, and as she followed after the car Jane and Thor were in, she dialed out.

" _Hello?"_

"Yeah, Phil?" Anna asked. "We got a problem…"

* * *

 **Boo, Loki is "dead." Yay, they're back to Earth! So, shit really hits the fan next chapter. Only one more chapter for the movie, and only three more chapters to part 2. Hope you guys are all so excited.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **FelixFelicis02** _ \- Malekith, here we come! It's time to take down some evil elves.

 ** _Guest_** \- I'm glad yo liked it.

 ** _EB1793_** \- Yes, Anna is definitely going to have a love interest, but it's not going to happen until the next book, which like I said, is only three chapters away. I'd love to hear who you think it is, and what the foreshadowing was.

 ** _Jedi Jelsa777-_** I know, and I would be so much less stress on me to have to worry about remembering to post.


	38. Finally Home

**Disclaimer: I do no own Marvel anything, Thor: the Dark World, or anything else like that. I just own Jamie.**

* * *

Chapter 37  
Finally Home

Jane unlocked the door and stormed into what she had informed the other two as her mother's apartment. She took off her coat, leaving Anna and Thor to walk in after. Darcy was at the dining room table, and the second she saw Jane, she jumped up in surprise.

"Jane!" she explained.

"Hey," Jane greeted back lamely.

Anna walked in, but not before smirking as she saw Thor hand mjolnir up on the coat hook in the entryway.

"You can't just leave like that. The whole world is going crazy. All the stuff we saw is spreading….Did you go to a party?" Darcy rambled.

Anna scanned the room briefly out of habit. Ian, the intern's intern was sitting at the table. Erik was doing research at the desk, and Darcy was freaking out. Ian jumped up, his gaping mouth caused by the sight of Thor.

"Erik?" Erki gasped. He got up and made his way to the woman to engulf in a hug. Anna scrunched her face up though, as her eyes landed on the man's lower half, which was left only in his tidy whities.

"Jane! How wonderful!: Erik exclaimed.

 _I really did not need to see that,_ Anna thought, turning her head to the table instead to study what what on it.

"You've been to Asgard?" he questioned, taking note of her garb.

"Yes," Anna answered.  
"Anna!" Erik explained, moving to go hug her as well.

"Oh no!" anna said, moving around to the other side of the table to use it as a barrier. "Not until you put on some pants!"

"Where are your pants?" Jane questioned instead.

"Oh, he, uh, he says it help him think," Ian answered.

Jane just moved on like it was completely normal. "Okay, well, I'm going to need everything you've got on this. All the work you've been doing on gravimetric anomalies, everything," Jane went on.

"Okay," he answered, sounding more sane in that moment.

Thor looked to Erik in concern. "Are you well, Erik?" he asked.

Erik began to laugh, but turned serious a second later. "Your brother's not coming, is he?"

 _Oh, don't bring that up,_ Anna thought, glancing to Thor with a empathetic expression.

"Loki is dead," Thor answered solemnly. Anna placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"Oh, thank God!" Erik signed in relief, before realizing how that sounded. Though, it was fairly clear to everybody that he really meant those words. He wasn't sorry at all. "I-I meant, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," Thor said, unsure of how to take that outburst.

Anna moved away as Erik moved in to hug Thor, but Anna was the only one to see the relieved grin Erik held as he looked over the blonde's shoulder.

"I'll make some tea," Darcy said. "Why don't you change into something more comfortable?" she suggested to Jane. Jane nodded and departed.

Anna would've changed too, but everything she had was left on the quinjet miles away. There was no time to change, and none of the other females' things would possibly fit her well enough to be able to fight in. So Anna just stayed in the other room with the others.

"Anna?" Thor said, drawing her attention to him. "I never thanked you for yoru support after Loki…"

"You don't have to thank me," Anna said. "It's what friends are for."

"No, but I do," he corrected her. "And I also need to express my gratitude for what you did for Loki."

Now that was a confusing statement which lost Anna completely. "I'm sorry, I don't follow," she said.

"Before he died, you made sure he knew you didn't hate him. And I believe, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself, was very comforting for him. Mother indicated that he spoke of you often, so perhaps he felt guilty for what he did to you. Knowing that you didn't-"

"I don't really see how that's helpful," anna interrupted.

"Well, was it not comforting to know that people you care about forgave you after your wrongdoings?" Thor said, making it a bit more simple and easy to relate to.

Anna sighed and nodded. "I guess I see your point," Anna said. "You don't have to thank me though. I think I got something out of it too. I got it off my chest."

Thor nodded and opened his arms for her, pulling her into a hug. "But I do. So thank you."

The two pulled back just as Darcy came back over with two mugs of tea. They thanked her, and Jane came in to join the group once more, now in a plaid shirt that looks so comfortable. Anna longed to lay back in bed in sweats to try and avoid moving which hurt so much right now from the injuries she had acquired from the previous battle.

"Malekith is going to fire the Aether at a spot where all the nine worlds are connecting," Jane clarified.

"Amplifying the weapon's impact. For each additional world, the power will increase exponentially. The effect would be universal," Erik finished for her.

"Yes, but the alignment is only temporary," Thor explained. "He must be in exactly the right place at the right time."

"Well, how do we know where that is?" Darcy asked.

"We follow the directions," Erik said, coming to that realization just then. He got up and grabbed some maps. He laid them out on the table and picked up a pen to start drawing on it. "This has happened before, thousands of years ago, and the Ancients were there to see it. All the great constructions, the Mayans, the Chinese, the Egyptians. They made use of the gravitational effects of the Convergence. And they left us a map." With each location, he marked a line to another. "Stonehenge, Snowden, the Great Orme. These are all coordinates taking us….here!" He pointed to a place at the bottom of the map.

"Greenwich?" Ian asked.

"The walls between worlds i'll be almost non-existent. Physics is going to go ballistic. Increases and decreases in gravity, spatial extrusions," Jane said. "The very fabric of reality is going to be torn apart."

Thor called Mjolnir to him then, ready to start the fight.

"I better get my pants…" Erik muttered.

"Perhaps you should contact the rest of SHIELD?" Jane suggested.

Anna nodded. "I called them on the way over, I've got people on standby. I just have to update them with the location," Anna told them. "But I don't know how fast reinforcements can get here. We have contacts and assets here, but not as many to spare as I'd like…"

"What about the Avengers?" Darcy asked.

"It would take too long for them to get here," Anna answered.

"So we're on our own?" Ian asked.

Anna snorted. "What else is new?"

* * *

Greenwich was beautiful. It reminded Anna of the private school in London she had been place undercover in several years back. That had been so long ago, and Anna was such a different person now that it seemed like it took place in another life. If anybody had asked her if this was where she'd be back then, she would've known she'd be with SHIELD, but not fighting off alien elves after taking a trip to another planet.

"God, my life is weird," Anna grumbled.

She stood across campus hammering in the weird tent poles that Selvig had modified to detect the convergence. Darcy and Ian were taking care of the other side of campus, and Anna has this side, leaving her alone with just the stares of the people walking by to make her comfortable (Note the sarcasm, Anna was greatly uncomfortable. After all, what was weirder than seeing a girl dressed in Asgardian garb hammering is poles with tech on them that were taller than her?).

The plan was both complex and simple at the same time. While scientifically it was beyond Anna's understanding, the plan itself was to simply distract Malekith while the short amount of time the Convergence was taking place was over. The spikes that Anna, Darcy, and Ian were placing around the grounds were meant to detect, and hopefully control, the portals that opened between the worlds. Anna had made her calls, and the SHIELD agents wouldn't be able to get there anytime soon, but a favor was called into the British Military, and they would be supplying with two jets from the Royal Air Force as backup, which Anna knew they'd most definitely need. She just hoped it'd be enough.

 _You know, I always thought Greenwich was pronounced Green-witch_ , Anna thought to herself, moving onto the next location. She put it into the ground and then pressed her comm. In her ear that was connected to Jane's phone. "All set on my front," Anna informed them. "I'm going to go check up with Darcy and Ian to see if they need any help."

Anna started to jog down the central sidewalk between the four buildings. Darcy and Ian were at the end of this pathway by the waterfront hammering in another one of Selvages crazy inventions. As she moved though, Anna's eyes scanned the crowd. At least she wasn't the only one getting stared at. But what was stranger yet was the way several people were looking at the water.

Slowly, as her gray-blue eyes landed on the water, she saw the water rippling the same way it did when a boat was moving quickly over the surface. Anna came to a stop, her brain finally coming to the realization that the invisible force moving the water had to be the Ark that Malekith had escaped in.

As more and more people noticed the approaching anomaly, they started to scream. They ran in every which direction they could to get away from it. It hadn't even uncloaked itself yet. It became ten times more menacing when it did, crashing and tearing up the ground as it continued onward.

"Everyone, move away from the water!" Anna yelled, ushering people away from the scene and the battle that was about to occur. This how powerful Malekith was, and he very small amount of resources available to them for this fight, they needed to get everybody as far away from the area as possible. "Get to cover!"

While Anna did this, the Ark stopped, and down came the elevator to allow Malekith to exit the space ship. Malekith was followed by an army of his elves. Thor was definitely going to need all the help he could get. Back on Svartalfheim Loki and Anna took out all the underlings while Thor fought Kurse. He never even got to Malekith, who would be stronger than Kurse was. He couldn't focus on both.

But Anna was doubting herself. The elves were stronger than normal people. She wouldn't have been able to take on all of them on Svartalfheim alone. She needed Loki's assistance. There were far more of them now, and she didn't have Loki to help, and there was nobody else around to help.

Anna was on her own. She was going to do everything she could to stop this from happening, and to save the universe (the fucking universe!), even if that meant giving up her life for the cause.

Up overhead in the cloudy sky were several large portals looking into other worlds. This was why Malekith was here. It was the most effective, and easiest way to infect multiple planets at once. It would begin the end to all things Anna had ever know. The would would be plunged into darkness, and followings, who knew what would happen?

It was while Malekith was so distracted by this site that Thor took his entrance, souring in from the sky. The two started to make their way towards one another, while Anna watched and waited for Thor to need her.

"You needn't have come so far, Asgardian," Malekith called to Thor. "Dead would've come to you soon enough."

"Not by your hand," Thor retorted.

"Your universe was never meant to be. Your world and your family will be extinguished!" As Malekith spoke, the Aether streamed off of him. At the end of his words, he threw out his arm, and the Aether's power flew off of him, hitting Thor on the chest. He was sent backwards straight onto his back.

Anna took out Slange, and extended it instantly. She stalked over to the elves from the side. They were distracted by their leader's attacks, and it was perfect opportunity for a surprise attack on her part.

Thor got back up to his feet, and just as he did so, Malekith shot another attack to Thor. It seemed he was just destined to fall on his back today. Thor got up, and braced himself this time as a third attack was landed. He was pushed back, leaving a trail of dirt in his wake as he was pushed back, but he was still standing.

"You know," Thor said, catching sight of Anna sneaking up on the others. He knew to keep them all busy. "With all that power, I thought you'd hit harder."

Before Malekith could send another attack, one harder this time, Thor threw Mjolnir at him, knocking Malekith back this time. And Thor send him farther away than Malekith ever had with Thor. He crashed into his own elves, and then pasted them, bouncing off the ground and into the stone pillar of the corner of the building. Once that happened, he was out of site.

Some of the elves turned to see where their leader was sent off to, and in doing so, Anna's position was discovered. The closes elf to her found himself getting hit in the head with Slange. He fell backwards onto his back. Before he could get up, he found Slange stabbed through his throat.

Anna couldn't dwell on the fact that she was back to killing the enemy. It had been so long since she had taken a life on a mission (excluding everything Loki had her do). It was back in Palermo that she had last killed, and it was weird. She didn't like it, but it was unavoidable. There were too many of them to just try and keep contained by knocking them back. Death was an inevitability.

The next elf had a sword. When Anna approached, he swung left, which Anna blocked, then right. She twisted her wrist, and Slange went limp. Using her weapon like a whip, she snapped it and managed to wrap it around the his neck. Using his bent knees against him, she used it as a stepping stool to jump over him, and then put her back against his. This allowed her to put more pressure around his neck to strangle him. When he finally went limp, Anna let him fall and removed Slange from around his neck by letting it snap back into its solid form.

Anna heard the shear metal sound of a sword against its sheath coming from behind her. She spun around and just in time too. Use used her wrist to block the hand of the elf with the sword as he lifted his arm in the air to strike. The elf moved first though, and used his other hand to smack hard into her wrist, causing her to drop Slange. Anna was forced to step back and he moved left to right and back against to try and slash her in the stomach. She managed to move in close before he managed to set up for another swing, stepping into his arm. She used her elbow and drew it down into his elbow,.

Once he was disoriented, she kept her hold on his arm and elbowed him in the shoulder, then kneed him in the stomach to double him over. As he bent over, she stepped back a fraction in order to move to face him. This was the perfect spot to end her arm, and swing her elbow into his neck, and again into his back. With her hold still on his arm, ad stepped back, twisted his arm, and made him stab himself right in the stomach with his own sword.

The elves kept moving on, and only a small fraction of them were coming over to try and hold off Anna. That definitely wasn't good. They couldn't let the elves move off the grounds. People would get hurt. They needed to keep the scene contained.

"We have to keep these guys contained!" Anna yelled, though it wasn't necessary. It was just habit because she was fighting. They heard her through the comm though. A couple seconds later, a large portion of the elves in the center of the square disappeared. "Thank you."

Anna turned, her eyes jumping from elf to elf, counting how many she had and calculating just how much energy she had left to fight them. _Oh, how do I get myself into these things?_ She asked herself as she pushed onward, Slange grasped tightly in her hand.

When she was finally the last one standing, though not because of her awesome skills at defeating the elves (because they managed to scatter despite needing to keep them contained), Anna stood panting, alone in the square. Thor, Darcy, Jane, Selvig, and Ian were nowhere to be seen, and that definitely didn't leave her with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

There were footsteps behind her, and desperate to see an alley, Anna spun around. Only, her eyes didn't land on a friendly face. Malekith was slowing making his way towards her, though she figured it had something more to do with the ship and the aligning portals over her head than it did with taking out Anna as a threat (because, who was she kidding, she was no threat to Malekith).

Anna got ready to fight, but Malekith just raised a hand and blasted her, sending the girl's body all the way back to one of the pillars of one of the buildings. For the second time that week, she cried out and fell harshly to the ground, feeling her wrist crack upon landing on it.

It was almost like a tornado was forming from the bottom up, with Malekith right in the center of it all. The black and red substance was completely ominous. What the hell is happening? Anna asked herself. She managed to push herself up to sit with her back pressed to the pillar she had been thrown into. She knew she needed to get up, to fight, but there wasn't any possible way for her to make her way through that storm, and she was in desperate need to catch her breathe.

The vortex grew larger and larger, and it started to destroy the buildings around it. Soon enough, Anna would be consumed as well, and she too would be lost. Anna pushed herself up to her feet, though she still needed the help of the pillar. It was nearly impossible to see through the vortex now. She could only just barely make out Malekith standing on the stone platform. It was then that Anna's eyes fixed on a shadow a little ways away from the elf. Someone was trying to make their way through the storm.

"Malekith!"

 _Thor?_ Anna's heart skipped a beat _. So he was okay,_ she thought. She smirked, no longer feeling alone and defeated. There was still hope with Thor in the fight.

"Darkness returns, Asgardian. Have you come to witness the end of your universe?"  
"I've come to accept your surrender."

What happened after they spoke was impossible for her to see. But after several moments of silence, Malekith spoke up again. "You think you can stop this? The Aether cannot be destroyed."

"But you can."

The dust cleared as Malekith was sent flying backwards into his ship. It seemed as if he had lost two of his arms, and with one of the poles Selvig had created impaled into his stomach. A couple seconds later, Jane must have activated it, because Malekith was no longer there.

The dust cleared even more, and Anna finally got to see all the destruction that had happened to the buildings, the walkways, and the grass in the square. "May God," Anna muttered, stepping off the steps from the hall and onto the uneven grass.

She continued to scan to make sure there wasn't anybody injured in the immediate area. Her eyes landed on one particular pop of color on the green and brown ground. It was Thor's cape, draped over him as he lay motionless on the ground after his fight with Malekith. He must have gotten blown back after that blow as well.

The Ark creaked, and debris from the top started to crash down to ground. It was going to collapse. And from where Thor was, it would collapse right on top of the Asgardian. Now, normally Anna wouldn't worry about him. He had survived a hell of a lot, but with the condition he was in, she wasn't sure he'd be able to survive that (Was it stronger than a hulk?).

"Thor!" Jane screamed. "No!" She ran out to her lover.

"Oh fuck," Anna muttered. She ignored all the pain in her body and rushed towards the two.

Jane had flipped over Thor, and grabbed one of his arms to try and drag him to safety, but Thor was built, and all that muscle added up to quite the weight. Anna grabbed his other arm, screaming out at the pain of her broken wrist. She didn't care. She needed to move. She needed to get Jane and Thor out of there. Now.

"Jane!" Selvig yelled.

There wasn't enough time. The Ark was coming down and it was going to land right on top of them. Jane dropped to her knees and threw herself over Thor, and Anna of course, dropped herself over Jane. Not that it would do any good. If that thing landed on them, it wouldn't do a single thing to save them. They'd be flattened into a pancake, most likely a very quick death.

After several long, slow moment of nothing killing them, Anna opened her eyes and sat up. The Ark was gone. She looked around, desperate for an explanation as to what the hell had just happened. The only thing she could see was Dr. Selvig standing off the the side with that control device of him. He must have used it to create one last portal to get rid of the Ark, and to save their lives.

"Everybody okay?" Selvig asked.

Anna laughed tiredly, and fell back onto her back on the torn grass. "Oh my God," she muttered. "Nobody is going to believe this…"

* * *

 **And this marks the end of Thor for now. Next chapter is still revolving around this though, but with some company for Anna. And if anybody follows Agents of SHIELD, you know exactly what I mean. So that's what's in next chapter. There's not too much more for this story. Then there's the sequel, and that's the part everybody really wants! ;)**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 ** _Howling2themoon_** \- It would be awesome, wouldn't it.

 _ **FelixFelicis02**_ \- I'm so glad you liked it! And it's such a compliment to hear that. I aim to get it that way.

 _ **ReidsLittleGenius213-**_ It still is. I'm sorry Anna won't be with either Loki or Steve, though I do have a story in mind for Loki. I already have a story for Steve if you want something like that.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- I know. Poor Loki. I can't wait to see him again in Thor: Ragnorak though!

 _ **CJ/OddBal**_ l- I'm not telling, but you'll end up seeing who the love interest is once the next installment is uploaded. It'll be in that whole OCx(Character) romance thing. But Bucky is Bae. lol


	39. The Well

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel, Agents of SHIELD, or the likes. I just own Anna.**

* * *

Chapter 38

The Well

It wasn't until much later that night that help from SHIELD finally arrive. They missed all the action, but they were in time for the excavation and cleanup of everything that was left after the fight with Malekith. Anna had told Jane, Selvig, Darcy, and Ian to go home, but to make sure to keep all lines of communication open for her, or SHIELD to get in contact with them for their statements and questioning.

Thor had returned back home to discuss things with his father, seeing as they had saved the world doing it in exactly the way Odin had ordered them not to. Hopefully, he would be able to return soon enough, which he had made known were his intentions.

Anna had taken care of some business first, and then sat down in an interrogation room in a SHIELD model base to get some peace and quiet to fill out all of her paperwork and to write down her briefing. She was tattered, beaten, and extremely tired. She was in desperate need of a medic to patch her up, give her some painkillers, place her arm, and a nice hot shower. A nice meal would've been greatly appreciated too.

For once, Anna actually got what she wanted. When everything had first started, and Anna knew they'd need backup, Phil had been the first person she had called. He had been the one to arrange everything for her. After all, it was very hard to set all that up when she didn't have that high a clearance level, and she was still getting all the information as they went.

Phil had, of course, taken his team and gone there to help with all of the efforts as well. They arrived late that night, and he quickly sought out Anna.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He had asked, entering in the confines of her quiet interrogation room.

"Authentic Asgardian clothes," she answered. Anna got up and lazily hugged the man. "Asgard is gorgeous, by the way."  
"I can't believe you've actually been," he stated in bewilderment.

Anna pulled out her phone and brought up the photo of the palace she had taken right after exiting the bifrost. She held it up to him to see.

"...Can you email this to me?" Phil asked.

"Keep it between us and sure," Anna said. "I'd really rather this not be confiscated."  
"Deal," he said. "Are you finished?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Come on, let's get you patched up. And you can tell me all about Asgard."

"And Svartalfheim," she added.

"Gesundheit."

* * *

Anna was most definitely going to repair the Asgardian clothes when she had some down time. She didn't know if or when she'd ever wear them again (Halloween party?), but she was definitely going to keep them. The only other person that could say that they owned actual alien clothing was Jane. It was truly something amazing (for a geek like her).

But it definitely wasn't the most comfortable thing to be in when trying to work, or to move around with injuries. Phil grabbed her a SHIELD tee-shirt and some pants to put on after getting checked out, which meant having her ribs bound, her wrist casted, and getting her head checked out. Overall, she would be fine. She's be black and blue for a while, but she'd surely live.

And if she could live, she could work. She couldn't do the work she wanted, but she could supervise what was alien and what wasn't as SHIELD picked apart the rubble. Half the time, Anna just found herself sitting on one of the tables people were supposed to be using as she watched Phil and his team work.

Anna was sitting behind Simmons, who was standing in front of her on a tarp, with a pile of debris at her feet to sift through. Anna hadn't been with them long, only the last ten minutes or so. They didn't even know that the young agent had been involved in the whole ordeal in the first place.

Simmons had taken up going on a rant about the history of myths as Anna sat there, turning her arm awkwardly to see what her range of motion was with her wrist in the cast. "In ancient times, people believed the heavens were filled with gods and monsters and magical worlds. Then, as time passed, those beliefs faded into myth and folklore. But now, we know the stories were true. Other worlds, with names like Asgard _do_ exist. And beings once revered as gods, like Thor, have returned, leaving us with more questions and an enormous mess to clean up!" Jemma rambled.

Agent Ward came over with a large white tub of debris. He dumped the content onto the tarp at her feet. "Don't say I never gave you anything."

Leo knelt down, holding a device to the rubble. "Checking for alien spectrographic signatures one teeny rock at a time," Fitz said.

"Necessary precaution," Ward said. "We don't want anything alien getting in the wrong hands."

"Yeah, there was this huge thing after the Battle of New York with this couple that got their hands on a Chitauri gun and robbed banks. Now they work for us…" Anna muttered.

"Still, this is definitely the type of work a monkey could easily do," Leo added.

"You're our little monkey," Ward told him.

Jemma's phone went off in her jacket pocket. She pulled it out and only glanced at it before she let it go to voicemail. She placed it back into her pocket and went back to work. Leo seemed to be watching her as well, and was giving her a scrutinizing look, while Anna just watched curiously.

"Don't give me that look," Jemma told him. "I'll talk to them when I talk to them."

"Talk to who?" Ward asked, vocally asking Anna's internal question.

"Mum and Dad," Jemma answered. "They want explanations and answers for all this. Bt I don't have any answers. And, more importantly, I haven't talked to them since I was ill. And if they knew that, they'd be even more terrified. So, you know..." Her phone rang again and she kicked it off, just as before. "Why waste any of our time, really?"

"Well, if you want answers, I can give you some if you want," Anna answered.

"Wait, you know details?" Ward asked.

"I should, I was here," she muttered.

"Are we high enough clearence level for that?" Jemma asked.

"Well, you're here sifting through the rubble, aren't you?" Anna retorted.

"Good enough for me," Leo said.

"So, who attacked us?" Ward asked.

"Malekith, leader of the dark elves," Anna answered. "And let me tell you, elves are nothing like Keebler elves! Or like the guys from Lord of the Rings...or even Dobby…"

"Elves? Really?" Ward asked skeptically.

"Yeah, they worse these white masks. They attacked Asgard. Thor's mom, Queen Friggs…." Anna trailed off. "She risked her life to protect Dr. Foster. Even Loki ended up helping to save the world…"

"Loki? The big bad that attacked us the first time?" Fitz asked. "You saw him again?"

"Yeah, and he died to save Thor's life," Anna said.

There was an awkward silence for several moments as they took that information in. It was only broken when Skye, Phil, and May started to talk their way, talking about the same topic that this group had just been discussing.

"You guys may think it's old news, but it's new...news to everybody else," Skye said. "So, Asgardians are aliens from another planet that visited us thousands of years ago?"

"Or more," Phil answered. He grabbed something off a pile and put it in the bin Skye was holding.

"And because we couldn't understand aliens, we thought they were gods?" Skye went on.

"That's where our Norse mythology comes from," Phil answered. "Anna was actually the first at SHIELD to start putting those connections together while watching Thor when in New Mexico."

Skye sighed. "That's too crazy. DO you think other deities are aliens too? Vishnu for sure, right?"

"Hm, while we're at it, just throw in Zeus. Odin, Vishnu and Zeus can have like, a club for being Godheads or something," Anna joked. "Odin, by the way, _dick_."

"You know, it'd be nice if, for once, Thor and his people sent down the god of cleaning up after yourself," Phil complained. "They probably have a magic broom for this kind of thing."

"I just wish they'd left their alien ship behind," Skye said.

"I don't, that thing almost fell and crushed us," Anna said.

"So we can clean that up too?" May asked.

"So we can go inside, take a peek under the hood, maybe take it for a spin," Skye said.

"Trust me, driving alien ships isn't a good idea. Do you know how many times Thor almost crashed one of their Hallows when we tried to escape Asgard? I was afraid they'd die and leave me stranded with Fandral, professional flirt," Anna said.

"Come on, you're telling me piloting an alien ship isn't on your bucket list?" Skye went on.

"I can't think of a single time when anything alien in human hands ended well," Phil said.

"Well, except this," Anna said, pulling out Slange from her thigh hustler. "I held off the elves with this baby. Gift from Thor."

"Wouldn't mind getting my hands on Thor," Skye said. "He's so dreamy."

"Sure, he's handsome, but-" Phil started to say.

"No," May corrected. "He's dreamy."

Phil looked from Skye to Anna, and Anna just smirked. "Don't look at me. I agree."

There was a beeping alarm coming from the machine Fitz held in his hand. He reached for the metallic object her had been scanning and looked at it in bewilderment. Anna had no idea what it was, and the chances were that it was just another piece of metal that fell off of it, not a piece of tech.

"Fitz, is that…?" Simmons asked.

"Definitely not from here. Another piece of the ship," Fitz asked. Ward reached over and grabbed the thing out of Fitz's hand, strayed it with something, and then placed it in a protective case to be taken away. "What are you doing?"

"Out of sight," War muttered. "Out of mind." This action definitely didn't win him points with the scientists. "That's why we're here. Keep everything under control."

Phil stopped when his phone started to ring. He picked it up and walked to the corner of the room to talk privately. Anna kept her eyes on him for a good while. Whatever it was had to be important. He stayed there for several minutes before coming back over, his phone back in his pocket.

"Okay, pack up Team," Phil said. "We have a new mission."

"You're leaving me?" Anna asked, looking up at him with a cute, over exaggerated pout.

"Duty calls," Phil said. "Don't go world hoping again anytime soon."

"I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises," Anna answered, and she watched the Team pack up to leave her.

* * *

Several hours later, when Anna was lying on the mattress of the hotel she was staying at in London, she received a phone call. She groaned and remained unmoving on the bed. She had just managed to get comfortable. With all her injuries, every breathe, every non-breathe hurt. She was just in a constant state of pain or discomfort. She had been so excited to get a full night's sleep for once.

She fought everything in her that told her to just ignore the buzzing phone on the night stand, but her duty for shelf was just too strong, and she growled as she reached for the phone.  
"Agent Carr," she answered, her voice sounding completely dead.

" _Anna, it's Phil,"_ he said _. "You said you got a weapon from Thor, right?"_

"Yeah," she answered. Anna groaned and sat up. "What about it?"

" _Did you see any other Asgardian weapons when you were there?"_

"Well, yeah," she said. "There was everything the guards carried around, and I was in the weapons vault. Why?"

" _We need a consultation. We need you here."_

"Okay, give me twenty and I'll get a quinjet."

" _You have ten."_

* * *

Anna was dropped off a little while later in Norway, the last place she had expected. SHe thought she'd have to meet them somewhere in the city after all this happened. Or even New Mexico, though that was a bit of a long shot. Though fit shouldn't have surprised her. Norway, Norse mythology. Asgardians were Norse gods…

Over the phone, Phil told her that some Asgardian cult or something had found part of what they assumed was an Asgardian weapon in a tree in Norway, and that they were causing a whole lot of trouble. They were acting out, claiming to be gods, and it didn't look like they were done looking for more things such as the one they found. Phil wanted to see if Anna recognised the recreation of the fragment they took.

Anna walked onto the Bus with her back over her shoulder. Phil and May met her and walked her into the lab.

"You owe me a vacation," Anna muttered to Phil, rubbing her eyes.

"Sleep is for the weak," Phil joked. "Or the privileged."

"Then I am either extremely weak or very underprivileged," Anna said.

The three walked into the lab together. Skye, Ward, and FitzSimmons were standing around the holo-table looking at something long and white in Ward's hands.

"The marking?" Ward asked.

"Asgardian symbolism," Phil said. "Hard to translate with our limited knowledge."

"You should give your body the God of Thunder a shout," Skye said. "He gets his power from his hammer, right? What if this is his nail to the hammer?"

"That's ridiculous," Anna muttered.

"I already did," Phil said. "Director Fury said he's off the grid and if he has a cell phone, we don't know the number."

"Jane told me she'd shoot me a text when he gets back, but we kind of committed treason on our way out of Asgard so it'll take a little time for him to patch things up with his father before he can come back," Anna added.

"What the hell did you do on Asgard?" Skye asked. Anna just chuckled back.

"SHIELD's investigations are on the trail of Nystrom and his followers," May said.

"We're charged with identifying the object and finding any other pieces before they do," Phil said. "That's why Anna's here. She was on Asgard, and in their weapons volt, so she's seem the most Asgardian weaponry of any human on Earth."

"They seem to have some advantage," Ward said. "They found this thing in a hundred fifty square kilometers of Norwegian forest."

"Guys, what if it called to them with magic?" Skye asked.

"Called to them," May repeated skeptically.

"We know it's Asgardian so the rules are a little bendy here," Sky went on. She was trying to justify her theory.

"Just because we don't understand something yet doesn't mean we should regress back to the dark ages talking about magic and fairy tales," Jemma rambled.

"No, Skye has a point. I'm not saying that's how they found it, but you guys have to understand that these kinds of weapons have effects on people you could only dream about," Anna told the scientists. "I mean, Loki's scepter controlled our minds. Who's to say there isn't a weapon out there that draws people in like that?"

"No, actually, that's exactly what we're going to do," Phil added.

"Excuse me?" Simmons asked.

"Really?" Skye asked excitedly.

"When we first found the hammer in New Mexico, I consulted one of the world's leading experts on Norse mythology, Elliott Randolph, a professor at a university in Seville.

"And here I just googled it…" Anna muttered.

"We'll leave immediately," Phil finished. "Maybe he can tell us more about these markings."

* * *

There was no way in hell Anna was going to go back to London to supervise the clean up when she could be looking for an Asgardian weapon with the Team. She may have been tired and hurt, but she wasn't dead yet, and that meant she was intrigued. She managed to sleep at least at least two hours. She didn't want to get back up, but even though she was still tired upon waking, she still felt a lot better.

The warm november weather was very welcomed. It wasn't too hot, and it wasn't cold. It was the perfect comfortable temperature to travel around the city of Seville. It was Anna, Jemma, Leo, and Phil, while the other did some other work.

The door opened and a young woman with pixie hair walked out. At the door was a rounded man, clearly surprised to see people outside his door.

"Professor Randolph," Phil greeted.

"Agent Coulson! COme in, come in," Randolph greeed, moving aside for them to go in.

"Waterfield 44," Phil pointed out, directing his attention to the pen in Randolph's hand. "14-karat gold nib with mother-of-pearl inlay."

Randolph chuckled. "That's quite an eye you've got," Randolph said. "I didn't know you were a collector."

"On a government salary, not quite," Phil answered.  
"He's just a big dork," Anna butted in with a gentle smirk.

That got the man to laugh more. "Well, I'm assuming you found something on the ground in London," he said.

 _It would've been Svartalfheim, not Asgardian,_ Anna thought.

"In a tree in Norway," Phil corrected. "And unfortunately, we weren't the ones who found it."

Leo took out the white model and handed it to the professor. "It's a 3-D model."

"There's no way for me to be sure yet, but it makes me think of the soldier's staff," Anna said, crossing her arms over her chest as he looked it over.

"Oh, that is amazing," he gaped. He leaned against the table to put it under the light. "Now, based on these runes, I'd say I'm looking at a piece of Berserker Staff. Let's have a look…" He pulled out a book from a stack on the same table and flipped through it. "Yeah, the myth dates back to the late 12th century. It's all about a powerful warrior from Asgard, so you're partially right about that, kid."

Anna rolled her eyes and gave a look to FitzSimmons at that remark.

"Here," he said, showing them the book.

 _Oh great, another book. Last time someone showed me something in a book the universe almost got destroyed,_ Anna thought.

"A soldier in the Berserker army," Randolph said.

"Berserker army?" Fitz asked.

"Oh yeah. A powerful army," Randolph said. "Fierce army it was. Berserkers battled like raging beasts, destroying everything in their path. A single Berserker has the strength of twenty warriors."

"So whoever wielded the staff got superhuman strength?" Phil asked.

"Fighting with it put the warrior into a state of uncontrollable rage," Randolph explained. "The staff contained a very powerful magic."

"Or a scientific attribute we've yet to discover," Jemma corrected.

"Analytically minded and pretty as a peach," Randolph complimented.

"The warrior in the story," Fitz brought back. He was displeased with the man complimenting his partner.

"Well, in the story, he came to Earth to fight, but he ended up falling in love," Randolph went on.

"With whom?" Jemma asked.

"With life on Earth," he said. "Humanity. He fell so much in love that when his army returned to Asgard, he stayed behind."

"What happened to the staff?" Fitz asked.

"Well, he didn't want its dark magic falling into the wrong hands, so he broke it into three pieces and hid each in a different location," Randolph answered.

"The manuscript wouldn't happen to say where he hid them, would it?" Phil asked.

Randolph turned around and went on to answer that. "Actually, it does. In three verses. Now, let's all bear in mind these are poetic abstracts from long-lost ancient texts. So, there is one about a tree, which they've found it seems. Another is, "East of the River, sun overhead, buried in Earth with the bones of the dead." That's a bit macabre, isn't it? There's another here. Well, this one doesn't even have a rhyme. But the gist of it is "close to god." That could be anything, then."

"It could also mean nothing," Jemma said.

"I was hoping for less metaphor, more longitude and latitude," Phil said.

"Well, I mean, it does stand to reason to search near viking raid routes, doesn't it?" Randolph theorized. He was very insistent, and Anna wasn't comfortable with that. Yes, he seemed to try to help, but there was something about this man that made her not trust him. "Now, there have been some recent interesting findings of Norse relics on Baffin Island off the coast of Canada. Yeah, virtual treasure trove of new artifacts."

"We'll start there, then," Phil said. "Thank you, Professor."

* * *

"So he's not back yet?" Anna asked.

The girl was sitting on one of the couches with her feet outstretched, her back to the armrest. She held her phone to her ear with her good hand, the other resting on her stomach.

" _It's only been two days,"_ Jane answered.

"I know, it's just, we've got a situation here with some Asgardian weaponry in the hands of some cult group," Anna said. "We just need to ask him some riddle like questions to see if he can make anything out of them. Let me know if he gets back anytime soon?"

" _Sure,"_ Jane said.

"Thanks, Dr. Foster," Anna said, before hanging up.

Phil walked out of the briefing room and looked to Anna. "Thor still gone?" he asked.

"Yeah, Jane said she'd call me as soon as that changes though," she answered.

"Well, until then, we've got a lead. You're staying here," he said.

"What?" Anna asked, jumping to her feet. That action caused a massive pain in her midsection, and she doubled over with a gasp.

"Yeah, like I said, you're staying here," he repeated.

"Yeah….yeah," Anna sighed, slowly sitting back down. "I'm staying here…"

* * *

Anna sat in one of the chair on the opposite side of the interrogation table as Randolph. Anna had gotten a call from Fitz when they were on their way back from the mission to tell her they found the staff, but it was taken by Randolph, and then Randolph lost it to the freaky cult.

Of course, Anna knew something was off with him, and insisted on sitting in on the interrogation. There had to be something. How did he know exactly where the staff was? Why lead them off its trail? Was he power crazed? Did he want the power for himself? There were just so many questions, and all Anna could think was that he had inside knowledge. He had talked to an Asgardian, or he was one. It would explain why he was such an expert on Norse mythology.

She told that to Phil before they went in there. Now he stood behind her, angrily talking to Randolph. "One of my men is hurt. The staff is gone."

"I didn't want any of that to happen," he tried to explain.

"What did you want?" Phil asked. "The staff's power for yourself?"

"Nothing like that," he said. "You know, I just wanted to be the first to study it, to prove that the Berserkers were actually here, a part of history. You think about that."

"Oh, I'm thinking about it," Phil said. He sat down in the other seat and went on to ask more questions. "How'd they find it?"

"I have no idea how they found it," Randolph answered.

"Yeah, sure," Anna scoffed skeptically.

"They may have the original texts," Randolph added. "I wasn't involved. You know, it was just a chance to uncover something that the gods brought down from the heavens."

"Aliens," Anna corrected.

Phil nodded. "Aliens brought it. From space. I've spent some one-on-one time with aliens before. Didn't work out well. Anna too. So cases like this are personal to us."

"That's all I know," Randolph pressed.

Phil got up and went to the door. He opened it and turned to Randolph and Anna. "Get comfortable."

Randolph looked to Anna and smirked. "Well, at least he left me a cute one to keep me company." Anna just glared at him and remained silent. She stared. And Stared. And Stared. Her goal was to make him uncomfortable. "I could do without that look though," he said. "Make you look older than you are. And you're not very old. Nineteen is my guess?" He just got a harder glare. "Yup. Nineteen."

"You know, I've been to Asgard," Anna told him, tilting her head to the side.

"You have?" he gaped. "What's it like?"

"It's beautiful. But what's more beautiful are the people that are there," she said. "Odin's a dick, but Queen Frigga was an incredibly sweet woman."

"Was?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"She's dead," Anna answered. "She died protecting the universe. Protecting _humans_." Anna leaned forward, looking athim more directly. "Tell me, what would you protect?"

He narrowed his eyes right back. "I'm done talking now," he said.

Anna sighed and sat back. She wasn't going to get anything else out of him. The only thing she could do was sit there and make him uncomfortable while Phil thought of something else. A little while later, Phil sent Ward in, looking extremely pissed off. The look even scared Anna.

"You need to start talking," Ward demanded as he closed the door.

"I told Agent Coulson everything I know," Randolph insisted.

"You're lying," Ward retorted. "Tell me what that thing did to me and how to fix it."

"I swear, I don't know," Randolph said.

"Okay then," Ward sad. He flipped open a pocket knife.

Even though Anna hypothesized that the man was an Asgardian, the one from the story, she was highly uncomfortable with Ward pulling a knife on him. After all, what if they were all wrong and he was just a regular guy? They'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Ward lunged and moved to stab Randolph, but he moved too quick and caught the blade in the hand. He bent it backwards, proving their point. Ward stood back up and looked rather impressed. Phil came in then.

"You were right," Ward said. "He's Asgardian."

"Good thing. Otherwise that would have been awfully embarrassing," Phil said.

"Okay," Randolph said, ripping the handcuffs apart. "I have to know. How did you figure me out?"

"Did the math," Phil said. "One) you're not the first Asgardian we've had in custody. You guys don't flinch or panic in captivity. Two) a waterfield 44? On a lit professor's salary? I don't think so. And lastly, when I tell someone I've had some one-on-one time with an alien, they tend to be a little curious. The only thing you were curious about was Anna going to Asgard, not what it was like. And you did react subconsciously to the news of Queen Frigga."

"Well, you're certainly more observant than most, Agent Coulson," Randolph said.

"So, you're the Asgardian Warrior who stayed," Phil said.

"Please don't tell anyone," he begged.

There was a loud, weird locking noise. Anna looked up and around. They were locked in there now. Which was a little concerning. She knew it had to be done with this guy on board, but she had fought enough super-human strong guys this week. She didn't want to do it again, in a really tiny room…

"Ah, locking me in," he muttered. "Well, I've been in tighter spots."

"This room is made of a silicon carbide-coated vibranium alloy. Meant for prisoners like yourself," Ward explained.

"But you're in here too," Randolph pointed out. "And eventually, someone will open that door."

"Not if I tell them not to," Phil said.

"And he definitely did," Anna added.

"So, the myth is you autobiography," Phil went on.

"I didn't write it!" Randolph exclaimed. "I didn't want anyone to know about me. Then I had to open my big mouth."

"Were you captured? Tortured?" Ward asked.

Randolph shook his head and looked at Anna directly when he answered. "Horny," he said. Anna scrunched up her nose and got up. She didn't want to be sitting across from him anymore. "I met a French girl in 1546. Ah, she loved stories. So, I told her a great one, all about the peaceful Asgardian Warrior who stayed. Now, how was I to know her brother the priest would write it all down and turn it into, I don't know, a thing?"

"Do you know Thor?" Phil asked.

"Oh sure, I spent all my days palling around with the future King of Asgard," Randolph said sarcastically. "No, I don't know Thor. I was a mason. I broke rocks. Mhm. For thousands of years. If you can imagine that. So when they came, asking for people to fight, yes, of course, I signed up! I think, really, I just wanted to travel."

"But you had the staff," Ward hissed.

"I hated that thing," he said. "Other guys loved all the power that comes with the rage. No, I didn't like it at all. And you don't either, it seems."  
"What did it do to me?" he asked.

"It shines a light into your dark places," Randolph explained. "Doesn't matter if you're human, Asgardian. The effect is the same - unpleasant. It was forged from a rare metal and reacts to whoever is holding it. Or interacts. I went to such great lengths to make sure that the staff wasn't found. Unfortunately, since the myth was written down, people have been searching for it for centuries."

"I need your help to stop them before they get the last piece of your staff," Phil said.

"Oh, I am a pacifist now," Randolph said, leaning back in his chair.

"And you don't want to risk your identity being discovered," Phil went on.

"Listen, I wouldn't worry too much about these angry youths. They always calm down," Randolph said. "And eventually, they die of old age. And that is one of the pleasant aspects of life here. Everything changes."

"I'll tell you what's gonna change," Phil said. "Your anonymity. Unless you help us find the final piece of your staff. You may not know Thor. But I do. And Anna was in Asgard with him just this week."

She pulled out Jern Slange and waved it to Randolph. "Where do you think I got this little present?"

Randolph signed and nodded. "My first love on this planet was Ireland. There was a monastery, and the monks gave me a nice, warm places to sleep, some soup, and some mulled wine."

"Near God," Phil figured.

* * *

Now, Anna was pissed she had to stay behind. She knew there would be action this time, just as there had been last time, but Anna honestly wasn't in any condition to fight. She knew that. Everybody knew that. It just didn't mean she had to like it.

Anna spent a few days there with them, though one night was alone for the team stayed in a hotel closer to the monastery because of just how far it was from the Bus. That was the best night of sleep Anna had ever had. Once she finally managed to get comfortable, she was out like a light. And with nobody around to come and wake her up to say she had to work in the morning, she slept as long as she wanted.

It was exactly the happy ending that Anna needed. And now, she needed a deserved vacation. The only trouble…getting Fury to agree…

* * *

 **Crappy ending, but I was kind of over the whole Guardian thing by this point. Love Thor and all, but I'm so ready for the next arc, and I know all of you are really going to love it as well. I put a poll on my profile to see who everybody wants Anna to be with. It won't change who she'll be with but I'm really curious to see who you want her to be with. Anyway, I hope you guys like the chapter! Only one more left before the Sneak Peak and the first chapter of Candle in the Dark. **

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 ** _FelixFelicis02_ ** \- I'm glad you liked it. This one wasn't my favorite, but I just had to have one last mission with the team before all the stuff happens for Cap 2.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777**_ \- I'm so excited. It has such a "Guardians of the Galaxy" feel to it, at least that's what I get from the trailer. It's much more space oriented than the others. Which I'm totally excited for.

 _ **Howling2themoon**_ \- I hope you liked the chapter!

 _ **CJ/OddBall**_ \- I saw it too. And I loved it. I love Evermore and Days in the Sun the best. I'll give you a little spoiler for the furture installments for this story. NExt is Candle in the Dark, then Evermore, and then Days in the Sun are each story title I have planned so far.


	40. Farewell

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel. Just Anna and her teammates.**

* * *

Chapter 39

Farewell

A vacation was not in the cards for Anna whatsoever. The teams was assembled very shortly after she departed from The Bus. Anna was given just enough time to stop back at her apartment to get cleaned up and pack a new back before she was supposed to turn up back at the Triskelion to report for duty.

There was a mandatory meetings with Fury about the events that transpired both in London, and before London while they were on Asgard. There was also a required physical to make sure she was ready enough to go back into the field. She wasn't, of course, but that didn't stop Fury from putting her in the field for strategic purposes only. She was to be helping Ryan and O'Hagan make his calls.

That, of course, did _not_ go over well with the boss. After arguing with Fury, and getting told off by Fury, O'Hagan put his tale between his legs and accepted it. Anna was staying inside Jupiter with him, Neil the pilot, and Tuck the tech specialist. Their missions went like this for six weeks until Anna's fractured arm was healed. And then after that, she was thrown back into the field with Ricky Dadney, and Marcus Alenko.

Their team was swamped with work for almost two months straight, and the team was informed that starting Christmas Eve they would be given two weeks vacation, which was unheard of. Anna believed it had something to do with Tony. Tony had invited her to go stay with him for Christmas, and then to attend his New Year's party. Anna wasn't a big fan of parties, but she wanted to make things better with Tony again, so she'd put herself through a couple parties to try and do so. It would be well worth it in the end.

It was the day before Christmas Eve, and the team was on one last mission before they could finally kick their feet up chill. Anna was looking forward to seeing Tony, and Pepper (who was still angry at her, but was pleasant for Tony's sake nonetheless). Steve was going to be there, but Nat would be spending the holiday with Clint and his family.

But before she could go home and pack to head up to New York to meet Tony at his renovated tower, Anna had to finish her mission. The team had just excavated an 0-8-4 in Oman. It was pretty easy. They didn't have any issues while they were there, and once they got the weird stone 0-8-4 on board and they were in the air, they didn't have any issues there either. It was the perfect way to end work before their vacation.

Anna was standing in the back of Jupiter with Marcus and Dadney chatting away about their vacation plans. It was very chill, and for once Dadney was actually treating Anna like an actual human being. There were no derogatory remarks, no insults. Just plain civil conversation. Anna found that as they worked more and more in the field together, Dadney starting acting better towards her. That wasn't saying she liked him any better though. O'Hagan, on the other hand, still hadn't changed. In fact, he had gotten worse with the time she was forced to work with him when her arm had been broken.

That man did not like her.

"So, what do you think it does?" Dadney asked.

"Who cares?" Marcus retorted, tapping the mechanical device that Tucker had built to go around the 0-8-4 to try and prevent whatever the hell the things could do from happening. "We got the thing, now we can go home and forget all about work!"

"Yeah, I feel you there," Dadney said. "I'm heading to Mexico. Sit on the beach, sip something strong…"

"Get laid," Marcus added in for him.

Anna just rolled her eyes. In doing so, her eyes caught sight of Neil call O'Hagan over from his seat behind the controls. O'Hagan nodded and clicked on his comm, talking to someone that obviously wasn't on their team, otherwise they all would've heard it. She kept this in her peripherals, but turned to Marcus as he asked her something.

"What about you, Chica? What do you have planned?"

"Uh, staying with Tony for a little while," Anna answered.

"God, I'd kill to see what was in that Tower," Tucker muttered from his seat up just before the cockpit. He was typing away at his computer, monitoring all the data getting gathered from the 0-8-4 inside his machine. Flying made the man jumpy.

"I can put in a good word for you if you'd like, but Tony's not really a fan of SHIELD," Anna answered. "So I can't make any promises."

"I'll take what I can get," Tuck said.

"I still can't believe you know Iron Man," Marcus gaped. "How did you get so luck?"

"I don't know if I'd call it lu-"

O'Hagan came over from the front of Jupiter, and stopped next to Dadney. He left Neil sitting in his seat, turned backwards to face them all. O'Hagan completely ignored the conversation that had been going on between the group and interrupted by addressing Dadney. "Got orders from Sitwell," he said.

 _Sitwell? Why would we take orders from Sitwell?_ Anna asked herself, narrowing her eyes at this news. They had taken their orders from Hill. Sitwell didn't have any place jumping in. The whole thing wouldn't have been so strange if O'Hagan hadn't just gone over to tell Dadney. They were a team, and he was supposed to disclose the information to all of them. He had been better after her threat on the Bus.

So something was definitely fishy.

"He doesn't want to risk sending the 0-8-4 to the Sandbox," O'Hagan said.

The Sandbox the was very classified research and containment facility in the middle of nowhere. Some of the most brilliant minds of SHIELD were stationed there, or so Anna heard. This was her first drop off there. But she did know that it was protocol to bring any 0-8-4 there to be researched or taken care of. So why was Sitwell telling them not to?

"Where are we taking it then?" Dadney asked.

There was a very strange look exchanged, and it was in that instant that Anna knew that O'Hagan was their rat, and since he went to Dadney, he most likely was as well. And Sitwell, of all people. And there was no way that little weasel was in charge of anything. That meant someone else was giving Sitwell orders. How far did this thing go? It was terrifying.

Anna needed to tell Hill. But first she had to figure out what she was going to do here.

"Pull another James," O'Hagan said. "Direct orders from the top."

 _James...Agent William James?_ Anna asked herself. _They're talking about the Agent that was on their team that was working for Hill and then he disappeared right before he had something to tell her_. Anna's hand instinctively went to rest on her gun. " _Pull another James"... They're going to take us out!_

All at once, Anna pulled out her gun, just as O'Hagan and Dadney drew on herself and Marcus. Marcus was a bit slower to react, as he had no idea what was going on whatsoever. But he did eventually pull out his gun. Further up in Jupiter, Neil jumped up and grabbed Tucker, pressing a gun to the defenseless Techie's head.

"Lower your weapons, or Tucker gets a bullet in the head!" Neil threatened.

Marcus glanced over at Anna, but didn't take his eyes off Dadney for very long. It was clear that Marcus was with her, as was Tuck, and they were both looking to her for leadership in this weird time. Just what she needed! This was why she hated being on a team…

"Who do you work for?" Anna demanded.

"You're in no position to ask questions," O'Hagan chuckled.

"What's the risk in telling us?" Anna pressed. "After all, you are going to kill us. It's what you did to Agent James, isn't it?" Anna cautiously took a step to her left to try and see around O'Hagan to Neil and Tuck.

O'Hagan smirked. "I knew you were a snitch!"

"And I knew you were scum. So, why don't you just tell me what scum you work under. I take it Sitwell's one of you too," Anna pressed. "He's the one that placed you."

O'Hagan just smirked broader. "Hail Hydra," he answered.

"You're joking, right?" Marcus gaped.

 _Hydra? No...It can't be!_ "Hydra's gone. Who do you really work for?"

"That's what you thought," Neil said. "We've had SHIELD infiltrated practically since right after WWII. You've never been safe."

It was as if the metaphorical lightbulb went on over her head. Somebody had leaked the information back her and her parents while they had been in Italy. Hydra was inside SHIELD, it had most likely been there. Perhaps the people they were investigating had some connection to Hydra, and they had been closing in on that secret. That's why they were taken out, just like Agent James.

"What does Hydra want with the 0-8-4?" Anna demanded.

"Didn't ask," O'Hagan answered. "It's just my job to get it for them when they say they want it."

"Well, you're not getting it," Anna said. And without further adieu, Anna shot Neil straight through the forehead. He fell backwards onto the the controls, taking the plane off autopilot, and destroying the control.

"Oh shit!" Tucker swore. He unbuckled and instantly went for the controls to try and see what he could do to prevent them from going down. It could be no use if they didn't take out O'Hagan and Dadney though.

The two remaining Hydra members shot out in response. They missed their killshots as the plane jerked to the side, tumbling everybody to the floor. One shot didn't completely miss though. Anna's side got grazed.

As Anna tumbled to the floor, her gun slipped away from her. "Shit," she mutered. She grabbed Jern Slange from the holster at her hip and as she got to her feet, noticed that Marcus had hit his head on the way down. He was out cold. Great, I'm on my own, she concluded. There was no way she's be able to win in such a small space. The only thing she could possibly do was to threaten what they wanted and hope that would stop them. And if they didn't, she'd take that our so they wouldn't be able to have it.

Anna jabbed her solid weapon into the containment, and if she pressed further, the whole thing would surely break and destroy the 0-8-4. "Don't move!" Anna warmed.

"You wouldn't dare!" O'Hagan said, calling her bluff.

"You want to try me? Put the weapons down!"

The two glanced at one another and then raised their guns. Anna knew that wouldn't work, so she decided to go out like a bitch and destroy what they wanted before they killed her. Anna jabbed the weapon into the machine, and the whole plane was engulfed in what felt like light static electricity, and the next thing she knew, she couldn't see a single thing.

* * *

At this point in his life, most news didn't surprise Tony anymore. His life was crazy enough, so things didn't affect him like they would a normal person. Alien invasion? Been there, done that. Stopped it. No bacon? Got that covered, fire the cook. He may be ridiculous and a lot to handle, but he did have a handle of a lot of shit.

Getting the news that Anna was missing? That was something he didn't expect to happen. Tony was sitting behind his desk, hands tightly clasped together in his lap. His eyes, ever since the call, hadn't left the two small figurines on the corner of his desk. For the most part, his desk was clear of anything that wasn't productive and considered work related. Everything except for the two small figurines standing next to each other on the corner of his desk.

Since Anna and Tony had made up, Tony had finally opened that birthday present she got him so long ago, right after their fall out. He had thrown it in storage, and no matter how many times he told himself to just get rid of it to help himself move on, he couldn't bring himself to do so. When they made up, he was really glad he hadn't. He had opened it, and when he saw the two figurines, the large Optimus Prime, and the smaller Bumblebee from Transformers. It was very personal to him, and it helped assure him that Anna really did care about him. It was a reminder that not everything that happened undercover was fake.

But now Anna was gone. The plane her and her team had been on was completely gone. There was no crash, no sight of anything. No bodies, no signals, no nothing.

His Anna was gone.

* * *

 **So there you have it! It's the end of this installment of Anna's story. Next week there will be one more chapter posted in THIS document that contains small sneak peaks of scenes throughout ALL of the next story. So read that, THEN read the first chapter of _Candle in the Dark_. Both will come out at the same time next week. So I hope you're all looking forward to that! If there are any reviews for the next chapter, they will be in Chapter 2, along with any reviews that will be in Chapter 1. **

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **FelixFelicis02** _ \- Yeah, I'm so excited for everything that's to come, which includes her finding out about Ward. And I really love all the new Agents of Hydra arc. I can't wait for it to come in the story.

 _ **Jedi Jelsa777** _ \- Yeah, I really liked the first and second seasons the best. And the Agents of Hydra arc is great though. They've saved this season.

 ** _CJ/_** _ **OddBall** _ \- Lol Good to know.

 ** _Howling2themoon_** \- Thank you.


	41. Sneak Peak

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel. I just own Anna.**

* * *

 **Hey guys, this is just a sneak peak at Candle in the Dark, the next installment of the Little Miss SHIELD series. So read these (Which take place throughout the WHOLE story), and then go on to read the first chapter of Candle in the Dark. They'll both go up at the same time.**

* * *

Sneak Peak

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I'm not sure you want them."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Anna muttered back, taking the seat finally, allowing her coat to lay on top of the counter. "I've had some pretty pathetic thoughts myself. Some that are logical, other's not so much. It helps to talk about them though. Helps get your head on straight. Even when you don't think it will.."

* * *

(A/N: This one is my favorite.)

Anna was _fucked_.

* * *

"Sometimes it's the people nobody can imagine anything of that do the things that no one can imagine."

"How poetic. You really believe that?"

"I have to."

* * *

"You're flattering me."

"Of course. Is it working?"

"...Maybe…"

* * *

"Are you done?" she demanded. "Because I'm done listening. You have no idea what I'm feeling, what I'm going through so shut your fucking mouth."

* * *

"On the front lines, the soldiers pray to be spared….and If they're not that lucky, they wish for a clean bullet to kill them. Nobody wants to be in the hospital. The hospital is where they all lose hope."

* * *

 **I know they're not really too descriptive and they don't give you much insight into the next installation, but I hope you all liked it. And I hope to see you all in the first chapter of Candle in the Dark, which should be up now as well. Let me know what you guys think! Again, reviews for this, as well as the first chapter for CitD will be in chapter 2.**

Thanks go to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:

 _ **megan9810**_ \- I hope you liked CitD as much as you like this one. Thanks for the review!

 _ **Howling2themoon**_ \- I hope I don't disappoint! Let me know what you think.

 ** _19irene96_ ** \- At least you didn't have to wait very long.

 _ **FelixFelicis02** _ \- Yeah, the mission was kind of set on the back burner for Thor, and then since now that she was kind of friends with then, the suspicion was supposed to kind of just be hinted until this point. I'm glad you liked the Tony scene. I was kind of off with it, but that scene has been planned since the very beginning. Like the whole Transformers toy she got for him for his birthday that he never really opened until much later when they reconnected.

 _ **J**_ ** _edi Jelsa777_** \- Yeah, once you get through the first two arcs, it's so much better. But it's kind of painful tbh. But worth it. I had a feeling everybody would like the gif idea. It's meaningful to them, so I knew it would bring back memories and feels for Tony.

 _ **CJ/OddBall**_ \- You'll have to wait and see what the 0-8-4 is, though the point of the 0-8-4 is by definition, they don't know what it is. Happy belated birthday to your brother, btw. Does he read the story too?


End file.
